Reuben Cotter is free to play in the finals for North Queensland after a former Cowboys under-20s player produced a five-minute clinic as a lawyer at the NRL judiciary.
With Cotter facing the prospect of being rubbed out of Saturday's elimination final against Cronulla, the Cowboys co-captain was initially found guilty of a grade-two high-tackle charge on Tuesday night.
But the lock was able to have the charge reduced to grade-one level with a downgrade bid, resulting in a $1500 fine but freeing him to play in the finals.
Speaking to the panel for just five minutes, Cotter's lawyer Tom Hancock argued his client had only hit Canberra veteran Josh Papalii high because of a bump from North Queensland teammate Coen Hess.
Hancock, who played under-20s for the Cowboys in 2012 and Queensland Cup with Hess, argued his former teammate's involvement in the tackle had resulted in Cotter's body being "bent out of whack".
In turn, Hancock suggested that stopped his client from making a chest-on-chest tackle, and instead sent him upwards and towards Papalii's head.
"He looks set to make contact around the right pec area of Papalii," Hancock told the panel.
"He was entirely rational and what you'd expect of tackling a big dude off a kick off.
"Hess makes contact with Reuben on the outside of his left shoulder. And Reuben's trajectory changes quite drastically from there."
The tackle on Papalii briefly threatened to ruin the Canberra prop's final game in the NRL, before he passed an HIA and scored a try in the Raiders' 50-30 win.
Hancock's argument came after the NRL's legal counsel Lachlan Gyles had claimed Cotter's shoulder had started moving up towards Papalii's head without outside interference.
After initially taking 30 minutes to find Cotter guilty of the high tackle, panel members Henry Perenara and Bob Lindner took just moments to agree to downgrade the charge.
Had the Queensland State of Origin forward lost the case, he would have also missed week two of the finals if North Queensland progress that far.