Though the team would be breathing a sigh of relief, it begs the question why the Englishman was put on report and sin-binned for the incident during Canberra's gritty 30-10 win over Cronulla on Sunday.

It was midway through the second half when Josh Papalii and Tom Starling tackled a charging Finucane, and Whitehead's shoulder accidentally connected with the Cronulla forward's chin as he bounced out of the initial contact from Papalii and Starling.

It left Finucane dizzied and struggling to get to his feet. The fourth serious head knock in two seasons forced him off the field and unable to return to the game.

"I don't think I could have done much in that situation," Whitehead said of the high hit after the game.

"It was pretty late contact. I thought it was pretty harsh to get the sin-bin."

The Match Review Committee appear to have agreed, and chose not to charge Whitehead.

The reviewed call by the Bunker to sin-bin Whitehead in the match was a pivotal moment as the Sharks were attempting to mount a comeback, trailing 4-20 with the Raiders already a man down.

It meant the Raiders were reduced to just 11 men, with Corey Horsburgh already in the sin-bin at the time for taking out Ronaldo Mulitalo as he competed for a loose ball minutes earlier.

Canberra managed to hold off the Sharks in an impressive defensive display before sealing the win through late tries to Brad Schneider and Hudson Young.

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