Widders facing two-week ban

South Sydney backrower Dean Widders is facing a two match suspension on a grapple tackle charge that threatens to take the gloss off the club's surge into the top eight.

Widders was today charged with grade two contrary conduct over a tackle on Jamie Lyon during the Rabbitohs' shock 24-18 win over second-placed Manly at Telstra Stadium last night.

The win put South Sydney into the top eight and within reach of their first finals appearance since 1989. However they can ill afford to lose the influential Widders for the final two regular season matches away to Wests Tigers and home to Sydney Roosters.

Widders becomes the third player charged for a suspected grapple tackle from round 23 matches in the wake of controversy last week. St George Illawarra's Jason Ryles and West Tigers' Liam Fulton were both charged with grade one grapple tackles over the weekend.

Fulton can escape suspension with an early guilty plea, while Ryles is facing one week on the sideline having already pleaded guilty earlier this season for a dangerous throw.