Manly hooker Shayne Dunley is set to fight the contrary conduct charge handed down to him by the NRL match review committee because he doesn't want to become known as a spitter.

Dunley was slapped with a grade five contrary conduct charge, the toughest grading possible, for allegedly spitting at Parramatta opposite PJ Marsh in Friday night's 18-12 loss to the Eels.

The charge carries a five week suspension if Dunley unsuccessfully fights the charge at the NRL judiciary, or a three week ban for a early guilty plea.

While television replays clearly show Dunley spitting, Sea Eagles executive director Paul Cummings said the hooker claimed he did not aim the projectile at Marsh.

"He's concerned that he did not intentionally spit at the player," Cummings said.

"He's more concerned about the fact that people will just grade him as a spitter in the future, but basically in his mind he did not spit at the player."

"We're not defending if it is spitting, we're not talking about that, but obviously it places a pretty bad character on the person concerned and he has advised us he did not spit at the player or anywhere near the player."

Cummings said Manly's legal team was looking at video evidence from the match, with an angle from the sideline to be provided to the club.

"They will come back to us in the morning with what they believe the situation is," Cummings said.

"We then have to make a decision whether we're going to go in.

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