Ryan Matterson’s condition was improving slowly on Friday after a sickening concussion which is likely to rule him out of Parramatta’s next match, and even had Felise Kaufusi’s teammate Cameron Munster admitting the tackle “didn’t look good”.

Melbourne star Kaufusi is facing three weeks on the sideline - two if he takes the early guilty plea - after being charged with grade two dangerous contact on the head or neck of an opponent during Parramatta’s upset win on Thursday night.

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As NRL head of football Graham Annesley said he could understand why referee Ashley Klein didn’t send Kaufusi to the sin bin for an apparent forearm to Matterson’s head as he dropped to the turf, the Eels back-rower was starting to recover on Friday.

Matterson is believed to have little recollection of the tackle and, given his concussion history, it is unlikely Parramatta would seek a written clearance from a doctor for him to play against the Sharks next weekend.

Any player concussed in the NRL this season will be subject to an 11-day stand-down period unless receiving specialist permission to return to the field earlier.

Matterson’s last concussion was in July, when he copped a legal elbow from former teammate Russell Packer. But given he admitted to sleeping up to 16 hours a day while suffering from light and noise sensitivity following a head knock in 2018, the former State of Origin squad member will be treated with caution.

‘It could have gone either way. I’m OK they didn’t, and I would have been OK if they did.’

Graham Annesley

Critics questioned why Kaufusi was not sanctioned on the field, but Annesley said he could understand the decision not to send him to the sin bin despite a prone Matterson lying on the ground for several minutes.

“They had to make a call in the heat of the moment,” Annesley said. “It could have gone either way. I’m OK they didn’t, and I would have been OK if they did. I wouldn’t have been disappointed if he was sin-binned.”