Monday's Expert - 2020 Round 3

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Monday's Expert is back in 2020 - each week providing a full wrap of everything happening around the rugby league traps each Monday.

Each edition will include NRL match review charges & judiciary updates, our player of the year leaderboard, crowd stats, TV ratings and injury news.

First things first...

Our Round 3 wrap of the NRL results can be found easily here.

Match reports for NRL matches are here.

A huge thanks to the following legends for putting hard work into our weekly previews and live blogs of NRL games - Rob Crosby, Sam Bourke, Josh Robertson, Justin Davies, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Ferguson, Jeff Dickinson-Fox, Rick Edgerton, Adam Huxtable and Hamish Parker.

COVID-19 - stay updated

We've got rolling of coverage of what the COVID-19 pandemic means for the NRL and rugby league in general.

As events unfold, keep across it here.

Match review

Only five players were charged in Round 2.

Kotoni Staggs (Broncos)

Grade 2 Careless High Tackle
61st minute on Dylan Brown (Eels)
Base penalty 200 points
1 x non-similar prior offence last 2 years (20% loading)
Guilty / no contest 240 points = 2 matches
Early plea 180 points = 1 match
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: Suspended 1 match. 80 carryover points accrued

Victor Radley (Roosters)

Grade 1 Dangerous Throw
39th minute on Dane Gagai (Rabbitohs)
Base penalty 100 points
1 x non-similar prior offence last 2 years (20% loading)
15 carryover points to add
Guilty / no contest 120+15=135  points = 1 match
Early plea 90+15=105 points = 1 match
PLEA: Not guilty. Challenging at judiciary.
OUTCOME: No suspension. Not guilty - charge dismissed.

Jared Waerea Hargreaves (Roosters)

Grade 1 Careless High Tackle
53rd minute on Alex Johnston (Rabbitohs)
Base penalty $1500 fine
2 x non-similar prior offences last 2 years (40% loading)
Guilty / no contest $2100 fine
Early plea $1600 fine
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: $1600 fine

Corey Norman (Dragons)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (head/neck)
10th minute on Isaiah Papali'i (Warriors)
Base penalty 100 points
Guilty / no contest 100 points = 1 match
Early plea 75 points = no matches
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: No suspension. 75 carryover points accrued.

Agnatius Paasi (Warriors)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (other)
42nd minute on Corey Norman (Dragons)
Base penalty 100 points
2 x similar prior offences last 2 years (100% loading)
2 x non-similar prior offence last 2 years (40% loading)
Guilty / no contest 240 points = 2 matches
Early plea 180 points = 1 match
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: Suspended 1 match. 80 carryover points accrued.

Alex Twal (Wests Tigers)

Grade 1 Contrary Conduct
16th minute on Ronaldo Mulitalo (Sharks)
Base penalty $1500 fine
1 x non-similar prior offence  last 2 years (20% loading)
Guilty / no contest $1800 fine
Early plea $1350 fine
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: $1350 fine

Oliver Clark (Wests Tigers)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (head/neck)
26th minute on Jack Williams (Sharks)
Base penalty 100 points
Guilty / no contest 100 points = 1 match
Early plea 75 points = no matches
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: No suspension. 75 carryover points accrued.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona (Storm)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (head/neck)
13th minute on Dunamis Lui (Raiders)
Base penalty 100 points
1 x similar prior offence last 2 yrs (50% loading)
40 carryover points
Guilty / no contest 150+40=190 points = 1 match
Early plea 112+40=152 points = 1 match
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: Suspended 1 match. 12 carryover points accrued

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (Storm)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (head/neck)
55th minute on Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (Raiders)
Base penalty 100 points
Guilty / no contest 100 points = 1 match
Early plea 75 points = no matches
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: No suspension. 75 carryover points accrued.

Edrick Lee (Knights)

Grade 1 Dangerous Contact (head/neck)
23rd minute on Kurt Capewell (Panthers)
Base penalty 100 points
Guilty / no contest 100 points = 1 match
Early plea 75 points = no matches
PLEA: Guilty - early plea
OUTCOME: No suspension. 75 carryover points accrued.

The LU Leaderboard

At the conclusion of each match our reporters will choose their best three players from the match. You can views those points in each match in their respective match reports. Each week we'll update the leaderboard.

6 points - Jason Taumalolo (Cowboys), Tom Trbojevic (Sea Eagles), Dylan Brown (Eels)

5 points - Jarrod Croker (Raiders), Mitchell Pearce (Knights), Benji Marshall (Wests Tigers)

4 points - James Tedesco (Roosters), Mitchell Moses (Eels), George Williams (Raiders)

3 points - Cameron Munster (Storm), Kotoni Staggs (Broncos), Cameron Smith (Storm), Luke Brooks (Wests Tigers), Blake Green (Warriors), Matt Burton (Panthers), Isaah Yeo (Panthers), Nathan Cleary (Panthers), Jake Trbojevic (Sea Eagles), Jamayne Isaako (Broncos), Viliame Kikau (Panthers), Jack Wighton (Raiders), David Klemmer (Knights), Adam Reynolds (Rabbitohs)

2 points - Nick Cotric (Raiders), Clinton Gutherson (Eels), Scott Drinkwater (Cowboys), Daly Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles), Sione Katoa (Bulldogs), Luke Keary (Roosters), Michael Jennings (Eels), Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (Bulldogs), Emre Guler (Raiders), Kalyn Ponga (Knights), Anthony Milford (Broncos), David Nofoaluma (Wests Tigers), Jahrome Hughes (Storm), Shaun Johnson (Sharks), Michael Morgan (Cowboys), Kodi Nikorima (Warriors), Bradman Best (Knights), Stephen Crichton (Panthers), David Fifita (Broncos)

1 point - Josh Papali'i (Raiders), Valentine Holmes (Cowboys), Curtis Sironen (Sea Eagles), Eliesa Katoa (Warriors), Wade Graham (Sharks), Brett Morris (Roosters), Thomas Flegler (Broncos), Ethan Lowe (Rabbitohs), Alex Twal (Wests Tigers), Daniel Saifiti (Knights), Tevita Pangai Junior (Broncos), Phillip Sami (Titans), Coen Hess (Cowboys), Tyrell Fuimaono (Dragons), Connor Watson (Knights), Tui Kamikamica (Storm), Daniel Tupou (Roosters), Reed Mahoney (Eels), Shaun Lane (Eels)

Sore points - injury update

Injury news that came out of Round 3

Mitchell Pearce (Knights) - concussion - monitored
Connor Watson (Knights) - ankle - TBC
Peta Hiku (Warriors) - ribs - TBC
Chad Townsend (Sharks) - hamstring - TBC
Andrew Fifita (Sharks) - calf - TBC
Alex Glenn (Broncos) - leg laceration - TBC

The good news - who's back?

The following players are likely or possible to return from injury or suspension this weekend.

Raiders - John Bateman
Bulldogs - Kerrod Holland, Kieran Foran
Sharks - Andrew Fifita
Titans - Anthony Don, Tyrone Roberts
Sea Eagles - Jack Gosiewski
Storm - Tui Kamikamica, Sandor Earl
Knights - Lachlan Fitzgibbon, Kalyn Ponga
Cowboys - Gavin Cooper
Panthers - Jack Hetherington
Warriors - Lachlan Burr

Metrics Metrics Metrics

Each week we'll also do our best to keep you across the crowd figures and TV ratings which are often the most talked-about parts of the game.

Attendance

No attendance figures for the foreseeable future!

Ratings

Thank you rugby league fans!

Last week we released a brand new publication - The Front Row - the perfect companion for your footy weekend, including team lists, match previews, match reports, key stats and news from around the National Rugby League. The response was overwhelming from you all and we can't wait to bring you the second edition later this week ahead of NRL Round 4.

If you missed the first one, check it out here.