The Storm are seeking a judiciary miracle to clear Asofa-Solomona for the NRL grand final.

Melbourne haven’t ruled out the possibility of seeking a double downgrade at the NRL judiciary, holding onto slim hopes of getting Nelson Asofa-Solomona cleared to play in the grand final. Storm officials were caught off guard on Saturday when Asofa-Solomona received a significant four-match suspension.

The match review committee took a tough stance, issuing a grade-three careless high tackle charge for his hit on Sydney Roosters prop Lindsay Collins during the opening tackle of Friday night’s preliminary final. With an early guilty plea, he faces a four-match suspension, or five matches if he contests the charge and loses at the judiciary.

Even if the Storm pursue a downgrade, Asofa-Solomona would still face a three-match suspension. For him to be eligible for the grand final, Melbourne would need to secure a rare double downgrade, reducing the charge to a grade-one offense—a highly uncommon occurrence. The New Zealand Warriors managed a double downgrade early last year when Zyon Maiu’u had a grade-two reckless high tackle reduced to a grade-three careless high tackle, cutting his four-match ban to two from a pre-season game.

Late Friday night, the Storm reached out to prominent judiciary lawyer Nick Ghabar to explore their chances of clearing their two-meter prop. Sources familiar with the case, but not authorized to speak publicly, revealed that the Storm were prepared to push for the double downgrade, which would result in a $3000 fine, provided they believed they could build a solid case within the next 24 hours.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona flattens Lindsay Collins.

Asofa-Solomona is set to become the fifth NRL player in the past two decades to miss a grand final due to suspension. Lazarus Vaalepu is currently the slight favorite, ahead of Joe Chan or former Panthers forward Ativalu Lisati, to replace Asofa-Solomona if he’s unable to play.

Following the Storm’s 48-18 victory on Friday night, there was initial hope that the Kiwi prop might escape any punishment and participate in the season’s biggest game. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, who is heading to the Super League and received a guard of honour from both the Sydney Roosters and Storm players as he left the field, has had intense running battles with Asofa-Solomona over the years. He expressed his desire for his fellow big man to take part in next Sunday’s grand final.

Waerea-Hargreaves admired Asofa-Solomona’s style, praising his pure aggression, with the two being among the last true heavyweight enforcers in the game. Lindsay Collins, who was tackled by Asofa-Solomona, played the ball facing the wrong direction and later failed a concussion test. This incident is likely to reignite discussions about whether the kick-off has become too dangerous, posing a significant risk of concussions. Asofa-Solomona has been charged twice for high tackles in the past six weeks. Over the years, other players have missed grand finals due to suspension, including Luke Ricketson (2004), Carl Webb (2005), Cameron Smith (2008), and Issac Luke (2014).

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is given a guard of honour for his last game on Friday. NRL Photos

Storm coach Craig Bellamy commented on the Asofa-Solomona incident following the team’s 48-18 preliminary final victory, saying, “You’d hate to see him miss a big game. I didn’t think it was a sin bin… I didn’t think there was a whole heap in it.” Waerea-Hargreaves, who has faced his own share of suspensions—including twice during the latter part of this season—expressed his disappointment for his “Kiwi brother” if Asofa-Solomona were to be sidelined. “I really hope it doesn’t cost Nelson a grand final. I hope not, I truly do,” Waerea-Hargreaves said. “It’s why we play. It’s such a physical game, and those are the small margins we talk about.”

“There was a lot of talk and speculation about both of us and who would dominate the middle on Friday,” Waerea-Hargreaves noted. “I thought he played really well. I could feel his impact during the game. I really hope he gets to play next week and perform the same way.” Another departing Rooster, Luke Keary, mentioned that the players had talked about the tackle in the locker room after the game, expressing that a suspension would be unfair to Asofa-Solomona.

After returning from the sin bin, Asofa-Solomona was the most impactful forward on the field. The Storm do have backup options, including Chan, who is primarily a back-rower and is set to play for North Sydney in the NSW Cup final on Sunday. Storm teammate Jahrome Hughes praised Asofa-Solomona, saying, “Nelson has been really good for us. Even in these last couple of months, he’s been outstanding and really focused. Hopefully, he’ll be out there because he’s such a key part of our team.”