Newcastle's Asu Kepaoa has been summoned to the NSW Rugby League judiciary over allegations of making a homophobic slur during a NSW Cup match.
The incident occurred just before half-time in the Knights' reserve-grade loss to St George Illawarra on Friday, leading to Kepaoa's dismissal.
He must submit a plea by noon tomorrow, in preparation for a hearing scheduled for Wednesday night.
Players facing serious allegations, or those with unclear penalties, are often directed to judiciary hearings.
In a previous case, Marcelo Montoya faced a four-game suspension for using homophobic language against Kyle Feldt while playing for the Warriors in 2022.
Kepaoa has participated in 43 NRL matches, exclusively with the Tigers from 2020 to 2024.
Meanwhile, Latrell Mitchell, a key player for the NSW Blues, is expected to miss South Sydney's final match before State of Origin selections due to a new injury.
Mitchell injured his calf and was unable to join today's training session following warm-ups, which significantly hampers his chances of a NSW recall for Game III in Brisbane on July 8.
After participating in stretching and light drills, Mitchell left Heffron Park accompanied by a trainer and subsequently underwent scans.