The National Rugby League's judiciary has made two key calls that seem to favour Australia over New Zealand ahead of Friday's ANZAC Test in Brisbane.
Greg Bird is free to play this week despite being put on report - unlike Dallin Watene-Zelezniak Photo: Photosport
Kangaroos enforcer Greg Bird has escaped a charge over a hit on Ryan Hoffman in the Warriors' ANZAC Day home loss to the Gold Coast Titans - despite being put on report for the tackle, which forced Hoffman off the field.
Meanwhile, the rising Penrith star Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is set to be robbed a Kiwis Test debut for a second time in six months, after he was charged with a grade one dangerous throw on Cronulla's Wade Graham in Sunday's NRL match.
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak in the Kiwis jersey he may have to wait to wear - again Photo: Photosport
Less than a day after being selected in the Kiwis team to play Australia on Friday, 19-year-old winger Watene-Zelezniak now faces a one-match suspension due to a past offence loading, even with an early guilty plea.
So he would have to beat the charge at a judiciary hearing to make his first Test appearance. However, early indications are that Penrith will accept the one-match sanction because they see little chance of beating it, meaning he would miss the Suncorp Stadium Test match.
Watene-Zelezniak was previously named to debut for New Zealand in last year's Four Nations series opener against Australia but fractured a foot in a freak accident at the beach just days prior to the match and missed the whole series.
St George Illawarra veteran Jason Nightingale is expected to get a call up to replace him in the Kiwis team this time.
