Nathan Cleary suffered a compound fracture of his left leg and was stretchered from Accor Stadium in severe pain, as his father Ivan watched from the coaching box and his family looked on from the stands.
Those distressing scenes do not lessen the questions raised by the NRL's inconsistent responses to hip-drop tackles.
Two nights before Phoenix Crossland's dramatic send-off, Victor Radley received only an on-field penalty and a later fine for an illegal tackle on Herbie Farnworth during the Roosters' win over the Dolphins.
In that match, Isaiya Katoa was also placed on report but avoided suspension because there was no injury.
Crossland's dismissal then left commentators and social media users divided over whether the tackle warranted a send-off or a sin-bin, exposing uncertainty about where officials draw the line.
The differing decisions raise a troubling question: would officials act if a hip-drop tackle occurred in a grand final, or would another catastrophic injury be needed?