The Roosters were breathing a sigh of relief on Saturday morning, with Victor Radley avoiding a suspension for his hip-drop tackle on Herbie Farnworth in the 36-20 preliminary-final win over the Dolphins.
Radley can enter an early guilty plea and pay a $2000 fine, which would clear him to play in next Sunday's decider against Penrith or Newcastle.
But the bigger headache for the Roosters may be Watson.
The super sub had been on the field for just 60 seconds when his head collided with Dolphins forward Kulikefu Finefeuiaki's hip in the 31st minute at Suncorp Stadium on Friday.
The knock was originally ruled as a category two by the Roosters, before that was overruled by the independent doctor, who deemed it a category one.
That ruled Watson out of the game and triggered an 11-day stand-down that would keep him out of next Sunday's decider in Sydney.
But Trent Robinson said post-game Watson was undergoing more tests, with the coach refusing to rule out seeking an exemption for the NSW Origin utility.
"That was a hard one; he came out as a category two, they changed it to a one after a couple of minutes," Robinson said.
"That's still 'watch this space' on Connor. It depends on how his tests go (if the Roosters appeal), so we'll see how that goes."
Watson is the first player at risk of missing an NRL grand final under the 11-day stand-down run, which was introduced in 2023.
Penrith had faced the potential of a similar situation last year, when Scott Sorensen suffered a head knock in their preliminary final loss to Brisbane.
Sorensen was also deemed to be a category two by club medical staff, before the NRL's independent doctor classed it as a category one.
Had Penrith won the match, it is understood they would have appealed to have Sorensen play in the grand final.
There have been multiple instances this year of players challenging category one concussions and being able to play the next week.
However Watson would still need to prove he was wrongly classified and be asymptomatic from Saturday morning, among several other requirements.
In more positive news for the Roosters, Sam Walker emerged unscathed after a record-equalling 27-day comeback from a syndesmosis injury.
The halfback left the field early with the match decided, but not before delivering a masterclass in orchestrating his backline.Â
The Roosters have not lost a grand final under Robinson, who will now be angling for his fourth premiership as a coach in the club's first decider since 2019.
"It's mostly internal, you want to get the most out of it," he said of the pressure to return to the big stage.
"I know what my role is ... it's not about getting into a grand final, it's about winning it.
"That's pretty simple and that's what I'm here to do."
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