Brown dodges NRL charge over Wing tackle

Sydney Roosters hooker Riley Brown has escaped sanction from the NRL match review committee for his role in the tackle which has sidelined South Sydney star Craig Wing.

Brown was found to have no case to answer, the match review committee declaring the Roosters rake's shoulder charge into the back of Wing was neither late nor illegal despite Souths coach Jason Taylor branding the hit a "cheap shot".

The committee even considered whether Brown's conduct was in the "true spirit of the game", a statement from the review panel claiming:

"As no elements of Brown's actions were deemed illegal it is difficult to contend the conduct was not in the "true spirit of the game."

South Sydney skipper Roy Asotasi was also cleared or his lifting tackle on Brown, the hit seen by many as retribution from the Rabbitohs hardman for Brown's eighth minute shot on Wing.

Wing is still awaiting results of scans to determine whether he will be sidelined for three or five months with his dislocated shoulder.

Parramatta's Feleti Mateo and Wests Tigers prop Todd Payten weren't so lucky, both falling foul of new stricter policing of the grapple tackle.

Mateo will be free to play the New Zealand Warriors with an early guilty plea while Payten is facing a two-match ban for his grade two charge.

Payten would be risking a three-match ban if he was to unsuccessfully challenge the charge at the NRL judiciary.

Both the Eels and the Tigers have until midday on Tuesday to lodge their pleas.