The Storm have suffered a monumental blow with man mountain Nelson Asofa-Solomona to miss Sunday’s grand final showdown with Penrith after he failed in his bid to have a grade three careless high tackle reduced at the judiciary.

Melbourne and Sydney face off in the finals for the fifth time in 10 years as they bid for a spot in the NRL grand final. Follow live.

Melbourne and Penrith finished in the top two positions on the ladder after the regular season and will contest for the NRL premiership in a repeat of the 2020 grand final.

Melbourne prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona has arrived at a fast-tracked NRL judiciary hearing in a bid to be cleared to play in the grand final.

Melbourne Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona must fight a suspension at the NRL judiciary or miss next Sunday's grand final.

Melbourne have reached the NRL grand final with a 48-18 win over the Roosters but the historic feat could be soured in a matter of hours with Nelson Asofa-Solomona facing a nervous wait on his availability. Asofa-Solomona left Roosters counterpart Lindsay Collins concussed with a high shot on the first tackle of Friday night’s preliminary final.

Melbourne Storm officials are believed to be bitterly disappointed with the hefty charge handed down to Nelson Asofa-Solomona as they prepare to fight for his grand final future at a fast-tracked hearing on Monday night.

The Storm giant will miss five matches, including the bumper clash with Penrith at Accor Stadium on Sunday night.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona will require a minor miracle to play in the NRL grand final, after the Melbourne enforcer was hit with a grade-three high tackle charge. Asofa-Solomona received the worst possible news on Saturday morning when told he was facing a four-match ban even with an early guilty plea.