Raiders backrower Elliott Whitehead will be free for Canberra's preliminary final showdown with Melbourne after escaping a charge for a high shot on Penrith's Isaah Yeo which left him dazed and concussed.
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The English workhorse will be counting his lucky stars after a first-half tackle on Yeo left the Panthers' man needing help from the field before he miraculously returned having passed the mandatory head injury assessment.
Yeo trotted back onto the field after half-time when many thought he would be little chance of returning.
But the match review committee didn't deem Whitehead's tackle worthy of a charge. As a result, the 27-year-old, and compatriot Josh Hodgson, will lead the Raiders' charge at AAMI Park on Saturday night against the Storm, who they toppled just last month in the nation's capital.
Whitehead has been a crucial cog in the revival of Ricky Stuart's Raiders and chalked up a team-high 33 tackles in Canberra's 22-12 win to end the season of the Panthers.
Yeo's head knock was the second concussion in as many weeks to be brought under the microscope in a finals match at GIO Stadium.
Seven days earlier Sharks star Wade Graham lasted just seven minutes before trudging from the field in a condition which looked to not be as dire as Yeo's.
But Graham failed his assessment and sat out the rest of the Sharks' gritty win which has them just 80 minutes away from a grand final appearance.
"It's a funny thing," Graham said. "I was fine coming off, but once I sat down and took a few breaths ... that's when I couldn't pass the test.
"He [Yeo] might have been rattled early, but came in and was fine and passed all the tests. You just never know what happens behind [closed doors].
"The doctor is in there and he's giving the 'yes' or 'no'. He's in a better position than anyone. You don't knock them back if they're telling you something.
"Ten centimetres higher or 10 centimetres lower and I'm probably sweet, but I copped it flush with the elbow and there's only going to be one result and it's not good for me. Although I didn't have the memory of the hit I came to pretty quick and I remember the end of the first half and all of the second half. It's pretty tough to watch."
Graham passed all his cognitive tests last week and will be free to play the Cowboys at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.
Whitehead has been a revelation for the Raiders this year and has already extended his stay in Canberra until the end of 2018 despite having more than 12 months to run on his current deal.
