The last player to miss an NRL grand final through suspension, Issac Luke, says he is glad Justin Hodges didn't suffer the same fate.
Hodges was found not guilty of a grade-one dangerous throw at the NRL judiciary on Tuesday night and cleared to play for Brisbane in Sunday's decideragainst North Queensland.
Luke wasn't so lucky last year. The then-South Sydney rake was excluded from the Rabbitohs first grand final win in 43 year when he unsuccessfully fought a lifting tackle charge at the judiciary in the week leading up to the game.
But the Warriors-bound Kiwi international said he was happy that Hodges can end his career by playing in the title decider at ANZ Stadium.
"Happy for the big man #hodgo to be able to play this Sunday." Luke wrote on Twitter. "would hate for one of the #legends of our game to miss it."
Luke was one of 12 players to be banned from a grand final.
The complete list: 1969 - Artie Beetson (Balmain), 1978 - Greg Pierce (Cronulla), Dane Sorensen (Cronulla), 1981 - Steve Bowden (Newtown), 1988 - Steve Roach (Balmain), 1994 - John Lomax (Canberra), 1997 - Jim Serdaris (Manly), 1998 - Peter Ryan (Brisbane), 2004 - Luke Ricketson (Sydney Roosters), 2005 - Carl Webb (North Queensland), 2008 - Cameron Smith (Melbourne), 2014 - Issac Luke (South Sydney).
