Premiership-winning former league hard men John Sattler and Mark Geyer have slammed the NRL's judicial system which could end Melbourne captain Cameron Smith's season.
Smith was yesterday charged by the match review committee for a grapple tackle on Brisbane's Sam Thaiday and faces a minimum two-game ban whichwould rule him out of Friday's preliminary final with Cronulla and possibly next week's grand final.
Kiwis test forward Jeremy Smith has also been charged from the same tackle for a chicken wing offence that carries a one-match ban.
The twin charges could be a disastrous blow to Melbourne's title defence as test backrower Ryan Hoffman is in serious doubt to play on Friday with an ankle injury.
But it is the potential loss of Australian hooker Smith that hurts most.
The reigning golden boot winner must beat the charge at the NRL judiciary tomorrow night or miss Melbourne's quest for back-to-back titles.
History is at least on his side as in four years, six of the eight grapple charges taken to a judiciary panel have resulted in not guilty verdicts.
But Geyer and Sattler say he has no case to answer, slamming the charge and loading system. A round one grapple conviction has added loading and carryover points to the charge meaning instead of missing just one game he would now sit out two.
"It wasn't a grapple tackle," said Geyer.
"I'm probably an expert on the judiciary because I spent 34 weeks on the sidelines because of them.
"I copped that because I sailed close to the wind on many occasions.
"But for a player like him [Smith], who's a real ornament to the game, who never plays outside the rules, to miss a preliminary final and maybe a grand final, it's just not rugby league."
Sattler agreed there was "nothing" in the Thaiday tackle that warranted suspension.
"This is finals football. They're killing our game by over-refereeing it. It's not a game for sissies."
