Raiders weapon Sebastian Kris will miss Canberra's finals campaign following one of rugby league's more uglier lifting tackles in recent memory.

The match review committee has handed down a lengthy five-match suspension on Monday where Cronulla's Sione Katoa was dumped on his head and Kris was sent off.

A dangerous throw charge arguably cost the visitors at Cronulla a chance to cut a 10-6 deficit heading into the final 20 minutes of the pre-finals' encounter.

The Sharks went on to score another three tries in the absence of Kris for a 24-6 win.

In the final-round clash of the NRL home and away season that marked the return of Wiradjuri man Nick Hynes from a worrying quad injury close to finals, the headlines was less about how the star halfback pulled up but how the Mabuiag/Saibai man pulled out.

The incident arose after Katoa had leaped high to take catch a crossfield kick and to diffuse the Raiders from squaring up the scores, only to find the hard-nosed winger sitting in waiting to drive an old-fashioned spear tackle into the turf.

Indigenous centre Jesse Ramien was the first – and surprisingly only – Cronulla player that remonstrated with Kris before quickly retreating following a hands-up apology.

Kris left the NRL bunker with no choice but to advise referee Grant Atkins to dismiss the Torres Strait Islander from the rest of the tense match.

The offence will rub out Kris for at least one week into the 2024 season, but possibly another three and a round-four return should the Raiders lose its first final.

Considering teammate Corey Horsburgh was recently handed a four-match ban for a less severe shoulder charge, there is an argument to suggest Kris got off lightly for the banned tackle that the NRL have been trying to rid out of the game for years.

While Kris was at fault for his execution of the tackle poorly, Katoa was able to walk away unscathed after placing a hand on the field first to break his fall and prevent it turning into a serious head or neck injury.

Outspoken Raiders coach Ricky Stuart refused to say much on the tackle nor the send-off.

"I didn't make anything of it – I haven't seen it again," he said at the press conference.

Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon was willing to say there was "clearly no intent", while Canberra captain Elliott Whitehead was a little more forthcoming, conceding that it "probably warrants a send-off in hindsight".

But the English prop refused to blame Kris's actions on costing the Raiders the game.

The victory would have had his side travelling back up the highway and to Cronulla for back-to-back clashes in an elimination final instead of travelling further to face an in-form Newcastle next Saturday.

"We never gave up – we still showed in that 20 minutes we had fight," Whitehead said.