Brisbane are refusing to rule out challenging the severity of Sam Thaiday's dangerous throw grading at the risk of costing their incoming captain a possible National Rugby League grand final.
The club spent much of Monday afternoon pouring over video of dangerous throw tackles, including South Sydney forward Dave Taylor's tackle on Brisbane prop Scott Anderson in June which, ultimately, cost him a State of Origin jumper.
There was also a nasty lifting tackle by Newcastle winger Akuila Uate before the first Origin game this year deemed only a grade one.
South Sydney tried to use the Uate grading in Taylor's defence before judiciary chairman Greg Woods advised panel members it had been "wrongly graded" and, therefore, could not be used as a comparison.
Brisbane have until 2pm on Tuesday to notify the NRL whether it will accept or contest Thaiday's grading, dished out by the match review committee for his his 68th-minute tackle, which dumped Manly prop Brent Kite on his shoulder on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium.
If Thaiday, who last visited the NRL judiciary in 2007, enters an early guilty plea to the grade-two charge, he would miss two games.
But if Brisbane roll the dice, up the stakes and lose, the Queensland and Australian prop would miss three games and, depending on how results fall in the opening week of the finals, possibly miss the grand final if the Broncos win through.
Only two players, Taylor (grade two) and Roosters forward Frank-Paul Nuuausala (grade one) have challenged their gradings this season.
Both were unsuccessful.
