Newcastle reached the NRL grand final after beating Penrith in a preliminary final, despite playing more than half the match without Phoenix Crossland.
Crossland was sent off for a hip-drop tackle that left Nathan Cleary with a compound fracture of his left leg; Cleary was taken to hospital.
The NRL match review committee referred Crossland directly to the judiciary, which suspended him for four matches, ruling him out of the decider against the Sydney Roosters.
A Roosters victory would bring an unusual record into focus: they lost 50-20 to South Sydney in the final round after resting many first-grade players.
Although the Roosters fielded an inexperienced side, the defeat counts as a 50-point concession in the NRL, and the team are bookmakers' favourites for the grand final.
Eight teams conceded at least 50 points this season: Wests Tigers three times; Parramatta and North Queensland twice each; and the Dolphins, Gold Coast, Melbourne, St George Illawarra and the Roosters once each.
Such heavy defeats have remained common since 2021, when 10 teams conceded 50 or more points, amid the NRL's increased use of six-agains and faster ruck play.