Felise Kaufusi is set to miss two matches through suspension in a sour postscript to the Dolphins' record-breaking rout of North Queensland.
The veteran forward went to the sin bin for rushing out of the line and flooring Tom Duffy with a late, high hit during the first half of Saturday's 58-4 win.
The victory was the largest in the Dolphins' short NRL history and ensured the side would finish round 15 in sixth place on the ladder.
On Sunday morning, the match review committee handed Kaufusi a grade-three dangerous contact charge, the worst possible grading.
It means Kaufusi will miss upcoming matches against Newcastle in Perth and South Sydney by taking the early guilty plea.
He would risk sitting out the following clash against Cronulla by challenging the ruling.
The charge is the first for Kaufusi this season, with the premiership-winning former Melbourne forward once considered a repeat offender.
Kaufusi has been a stalwart of the Dolphins' middle forward rotation in a resurgent first season under new coach Kristian Woolf.
He has played all but the two games he missed with a knee issue, including the side's three consecutive thrashings of Canterbury, St George Illawarra and the Cowboys.
Kaufusi's absence will leave Woolf with a selection dilemma given fellow middle forward options Daniel Saifiti, Tom Gilbert, Thomas Flegler and Max Plath are all dealing with long-term injuries.
But his former Storm teammate Kenny Bromwich is a chance for an NRL recall if he can recover from a neck injury in time.
Newcastle forward Thomas Cant has been charged for his high shot on Hugo Savala from the 12-8 loss to the Sydney Roosters but can accept a $1000 fine.
