Moimoi, Webb may miss NRL finals
September 5, 2005 - 2:49PM
Parramatta crowd favourite Fuifui Moimoi and North Queensland's Origin prop Carl Webb will miss the entire NRL finals series unless they can successfully contest charges laid by the NRL match review committee.
Webb will cop a four-match ban if he enters an early guilty plea to a grade four striking charge following his punch to the head of Melbourne back-rower Ryan Hoffman on Saturday night in Townsville.
Moimoi, an impact player off the bench for the minor premiers this year, is staring down the barrel of a six-game suspension if he submits an early guilty plea to a grade two reckless high tackle charge.
Moimoi's hit on Berrick Barnes left the Brisbane teenager heavily concussed on Friday night at Parramatta Stadium.
If Moimoi and Webb decide to fight their charges and are unsuccessful, they will be suspended for nine and six games respectively.
It's a bitter blow for the Eels, whose star forward Nathan Hindmarsh tore the posterior cruciate in his right knee in the win over the Broncos and may also miss the 2005 finals.
The Cowboys are privately fuming over the Webb incident, claiming that the Maroons prop was retaliating to a grapple tackle from Hoffman.
North Queensland faces Wests Tigers at Telstra Stadium on Friday night in the first qualifying final.
Cronulla prop Hutch Maiava will miss one match if he pleads guilty to a grade two striking charge but he has already been ruled out of the Sharks' final against St George Illawarra on Saturday night with a shoulder injury.
Dragons second-rower Ben Creagh was charged with grade one tripping but has not accumulated enough penalty points to be suspended for the clash with the Sharks at WIN Stadium.
