Melbourne Storm's Nelson Asofa-Solomona to miss NRL grand final against Penrith after failed challenge turns ban from four games to five
ABCNelson Asofa-Solomona will miss Melbourne's grand final showdown with Penrith after the Storm prop failed in his bid to have a four-game NRL ban overturned. Such downgrades are rarely seen but it was the New Zealand international's only chance of escaping suspension for his hit on Sydney Roosters prop Lindsay Collins in the opening stages of last Friday's preliminary final. Melbourne spared no expense in a bid to free their hulking prop for Sunday's match, flying Asofa-Solomona and football manager Frank Ponissi to Monday's hearing in Sydney and enlisting the help of Ghabar. The ruling means Sunday's grand final will be the first of five games for which the front-rower is unavailable after Asofa-Solomona earned an extra game for his challenge.
History of this topic
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