Live: Bulldogs star avoids ban that would have cost him Origin spot

Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton will be free to play State of Origin after being hit with a grade one charge for dangerous contact in last night’s win over the Roosters.

Early in the second half, Crichton tried to grubber through the line, but Lindsay Collins dove on the ball to clean up, with Crichton flying in and hitting the prone Roosters prop in the head with his shoulder.

The Bulldogs centre was penalised but stayed on the field, and the NRL match review committee has allowed him to get away with a $3,000 fine with an early guilty plea. It’s his third and subsequent offence, so if he tried to fight the charge at the judiciary and failed he would be banned for two games, which would rule him out of State of Origin I.

On Channel Nine’s coverage of the game, former Blues coach Brad Fittler was confident Crichton would be cleared, while Maroons assistant Johnathan Thurston was less certain

Fittler: “He’s got him with the shoulder, [but] the way the game’s moved since a couple of weeks ago, I don’t think it’s too bad. So I think he’ll be OK.”

Thurston: “Not too bad but there’s still a duty of care when someone’s on the ground. You still need a wrapping motion [with the arm] and he’s not done that at all. So it’ll be very interesting to see what the match review committee have [to say].”

Crichton is many people’s favourite to get one of the two NSW centre spots, and could even line up on the wing if need be, with the fitness of Zac Lomax and Brian To’o in doubt.

The 24-year-old has also been floated as a possible captain to replace Jake Trbojevic.

We’ve got another trio of sensational games today, with top-eight and State of Origin implications aplenty.

First up, the Dolphins host the rampant Warriors at Lang Park, then the Cowboys and Manly face off in Townsville, and the Sharks and Storm wrap things up in Cronulla.

By the end of the day, all six of these teams could be in the top eight, so there’s plenty to play for.

I’m Jon Healy, and I’ll be your guide today. So please hang out for the next few hours as we ride every bump along the way.