Issac Luke will likely have just three games left in Warriors colours after his unsuccessful challenge of a dangerous tackle charge landed him a three-week ban at the judiciary on Tuesday night.Luke will be sidelined for Friday’s critical clash with Canberra, as well as round 21 and 22 games against Manly and the Roosters, with an extra week’s suspension added to his punishment for lifting Parramatta’s Dylan Brown.The 32-year-old hooker is currently a free agent and has not been offered a new deal by the Warriors, England’s Super League looming as his most likely avenue to continue his career beyond this season.Given the Warriors’ uphill battle to make the finals has now been made that much harder by Luke’s suspension, the final three regular season games shape as his club swansong unless they pull off an unlikely run into the top eight.Luke’s bid to have his lifting tackle on Brown reduced to grade one would have brought his charge into the same bracket as Jake Trbojevic, who is free to play for Manly this weekend after upending Melbourne’s Jahrome Hughes.Both NRL counsel Peter McGrath and Luke’s defence Daniel Thomas cited Trbojevic’s tackle along with three other dangerous throws from the past year across 70 minutes of evidence.Luke told the panel that his tipping of Brown was “a regular tackle for me” and that he had “released my hands and tried to meet the player on the ground … [and was] trying to make sure that he landed on his back.”But McGrath successfully argued that despite having a “high degree of control”, Luke had left Brown with “very little ability to protect himself” and had acted carelessly, without the due care to avoid injury towards an opposing player.McGrath described Luke’s lifting of Brown’s leg and skyward-pointing right elbow as a “classic indicator of a tipping tackle.”“[It] led to Brown’s head making contact – I would argue forceful contact – with the ground,” McGrath submitted.Referencing Trbjoevic’s lifting tackle, the NRL counsel argued that unlike Luke, Trbojevic’s hand appeared to slip from the leg of Hughes as he lifted the Storm fullback.“We don’t have the same elevation and we don’t have the same amount of lifting,” McGrath said as a result, also arguing that Hughes was able to brace for contact with the ground using his hand unlike Brown.“It is quite minimal impact with the ground, with some degree of pulling out of the tackle.”Luke’s defence argued that his was the only instance of four dangerous throws shown – including Trbojevic’s, a grade 2 charge against Korbin Sims from last year’s finals, and grade 1 charges against Mitch Rein and Boyd Cordner – in which the tackler made a “genuine attempt” to do something about the risk of injury to their opposition.
76' ... Issac Luke comes off. Use of this site is governed by our Legal Notice. "Sarah is a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald.From Pittwater High to Origin stardom: the Trbojevic brothers' high school mentorsCoaching greatness: Tom Trbojevic, left, and his brother Jake with their high school coach Rob Askew.Child star: Tom Trbojevic as a youngster in Mona Vale.Mark Dailhou, a PE teacher, recognised the talent of the Trbojevic brothers when they were young players at Pittwater High. "He's part of our Welfare and Education Committee and makes valuable contributions on behalf of the younger NRL players. Elijah Taylor 16. He has plans to continue with studies next year as he enjoys them and said they give him something else to think about away from football, as well as offers the chance to meet new people.Each club has a Welfare Manager and Career Coach and Jake spoke highly of the benefits of having Luke Williamson and Judy Fitzgerald available to him. Trbojevic put in a solid performance for Manly in the Sea Eagles' golden point 11-10 win in Melbourne, but the tackle threatens to overshadow one of the best matches of the year. He was embarrassed because he knew he wasn't that type of player - he thought we would be disappointed in him. Russell Packer 11.