Round 8 charges: Fonua-Blake early plea, Joey Leilua out for four

Manly prop Addin Fonua-Blake will serve a two-week ban after submitting an early guilty plea to a contrary conduct charge for his verbal abuse of referee Grant Atkins on Sunday.

Fonua-Blake was heard calling referee Atkins a "f---ing retard" following a controversial decision during the match at Lottoland.

He later apologised for his words, but the match review committee handed down a grade three charge.

Wests Tigers centre Joey Leilua will miss the next four matches after entering an early guilty plea for dangerous contact (head/neck).

Leilua's high shot on Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards at Bankwest Stadium was followed by Panthers players coming to Leilua's defence.

Leilua conceded two penalties before being sent to the sin-bin in the wake of his brother Luciano being taken from the field following a high tackle.

Panthers hooker Apisai Koroisau said he held no grudge against Joey Leilua over the late-game incidents.

“I’ve got nothing against Joey there, he did the right thing for his brother,” Koroisau said. “Tensions were high, it is his brother that went down and obviously he is going to be a bit upset. As you would be, as any brother would be and obviously team-mates as well. There was nothing in it.”

“Obviously emotions were high after Luciano went down.

“Obviously he [Leilua] was pretty fired up about what happened but I don’t know if there is any explanation for what he did down there.

“That is what it is and I think our boys did what anybody would do and that is how it started up again. That’s football.

“I think it was pretty good to see the emotion back in the game with the boys. It sort of gets you riled up a little bit and brings that energy back.”

Tigers coach Michael Maguire was disappointed by Leilua’s lack of discipline after the team had levelled the scores at 12-12 following Koroisau’s high tackle on Luciano.