Dale Finucane is set to miss at least two weeks of NRL action after the Cronulla co-captain was cited for a dangerous throw on St George Illawarra prop Blake Lawrie.
The ban continues an unhappy run for Finucane with the match review committee and puts more pressure on a Sharks middle rotation that has been battling injury blows all season.
Finucane up-ended Lawrie in a two-man tackle with Braden Hamlin-Uele midway through the first half of the Sharks' 52-16 defeat of the Dragons on Thursday night.
The former NSW representative was permitted to remain on the field and claimed not to have seen footage of the incident on the big screen at Shark Park when quizzed about it post-match.
On Friday morning, the match review committee charged Finucane with a grade-one dangerous throw.
Despite the low-level grading, Finucane's prior record means he will miss two games with an early guilty plea, or three if he unsuccessfully challenges the charge at the judiciary.
He will sit out of the upcoming clashes against Wests Tigers and the Warriors if he accepts his ban.
The 31-year-old spent three games sidelined for a hip-drop tackle earlier in the season, and missed another two late last year after a shot on Stephen Crichton that left the Penrith centre in need of plastic surgery on his ear.
Finucane's likely suspension comes after the Sharks lost fellow middle forward Hamlin-Uele to a rib injury at halftime on Thursday.
Cronulla expect Toby Rudolf to return from a toe injury next week to provide an extra body in the middle of the park but are still missing prop Royce Hunt with a damaged ankle.
"We've been turning them over a little bit but (the replacements) have been performing pretty strongly," Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said.
For his high shot on Jesse Ramien late in the match, Dragons centre Tautau Moga has received a grade-one careless high-tackle charge and can accept a $1000 fine.
