KNIGHTS enforcer David Klemmer will play for NSW in the Origin decider in Sydney next Wednesday after he was called into the squad as a replacement for the suspended Tariq Sims.
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Sims was found guilty of a grade two dangerous contact charge after a marathon judiciary hearing on Tuesday night.
The St George Illawarra forward was hit with the charge for a 45th-minute challenge on North Queensland captain and Maroons star Michael Morgan in their NRL game in Wollongong last Friday.
Klemmer was a shock omission from the Blues side on Monday when coach Brad Fittler opted to retain the side that thumped Queensland 38-6 in Origin II, which the Knights and Australian prop sat out with a fractured wrist.
The 25-year-old returned with a stunning display for the Knights in their 26-12 win over the Broncos on Saturday night.
He was named at lock on Tuesday afternoon for the clash against the Warriors at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday night but will now join the Blues in camp in Sydney.
NSW assistant coach Danny Buderus confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Klemmer would come into the squad if Sims was not cleared.
The judiciary panel, which included former players Mal Cochrane, Dallas Johnson and Bob Lindner, took nearly an hour to come up with a guilty verdict after hearing an hour of evidence.
NRL Counsel Peter McGrath argued that in defending a ball-player approaching the defensive line, Sims had "a special duty to avoid forceful and dangerous contact on a player in [Morgan's] situation".
There was direct contact to the head by the left shoulder. There was forceful contact, forceful enough for player Morgan not only to be taken from the field but to take no further part in the game. It was slightly late, but that's not the be all and end all," McGrath said.
Sims maintained that his first contact with Morgan was front on, denying that his left shoulder had hit Morgan's head afterwards.
Sims admitted that at "some stage there might have been" contact with Morgan's head but insisted it was incidental and not a careless act.
"I felt his body contacting my chest and collarbone," Sims said. "I accept that I made incidental contact with his head, but with my chest and collarbone. As I was doing that I was pivoting to see where the ball was going to be so I could check and release."
