Cameron Munster facing ban for dangerous knees tackle on James Tedesco

Queensland’s dour Game II loss to New South Wales could have further ramifications for Cameron Munster who is expected to come under scrutiny from the Match Review Committee once again.

The Maroons star narrowly escaped a ban for allegedly kicking out at Liam Martin in Game I, but may not be so lucky after a dangerous knees tackle on James Tedesco in Game II.

Chasing a kick downfield that was gathered by Tedesco, Munster flew in with both his knees when the Blues fullback was on the ground, catching him high on the right shoulder.

The hit visibly caused pain to Tedesco, who appealed to the referees before getting up to play the ball.

The NRL’s crackdown on foul play, particularly anything that involves the head and neck, has seen multiple long-term suspensions handed out at club level, which will see Munster face a nervous wait when the charges sheet is released on Monday.

A similar knees-first tackle from Parramatta’s Dylan Brown on Rooster Drew Hutchison earlier in the year saw Brown banned for three weeks.

While the two incidents were different in nature, Munster is looking at a similar punishment and perhaps even a longer suspension, given how close his knees came to Tedesco’s head.

Despite the second-half incident going unnoticed during the game, Channel 9 reporter Danika Mason said post-game Munster had been placed on report for dangerous contact.

“The concern for Munster is that he has had two grade one dangerous contact charges, both resulted in fines,” Mason said.

“So this one there is a chance that he could now be spending some time on the sidelines depending on what the Match Review Committee says about it.” 

It marked what was a disappointing night for last year’s Wally Lewis Medalist, who usually carries the keys to the Maroons’ attack but was virtually unsighted with the ball on Wednesday night.

Munster, along with halves partner Daly Cherry-Evans, has come under fire for Queensland’s disjointed attack that has barely landed a punch in this year’s series, seeing the Blues hold a 76-6 aggregate score across two games.