Manly have sought leave to appeal the four-match suspension imposed by the NRL judiciary on hooker Shayne Dunley for spitting.

Dunley was banned for four matches after successfully having his grade five contrary conduct charge downgraded to a grade four, meaning he would miss only four games instead of five for spitting in the direction of Parramatta hooker PJ Marsh on Friday night.

But not happy with the judgment, Manly notified the NRL of its intention to seek leave to appeal, with NRL judiciary chairman Greg Woods to make the final decision.

"He has the right to say whether we have leave the right to appeal or he might say no we don't have the right for appeal," Manly executive director Paul Cummings said.

"That's the first step. If that's successful we move on from there."

Woods, who presided over the original hearing but was not part of the judgment process, will receive submissions from the Sea Eagles and from NRL counsel John Murphy on Thursday afternoon. No time frame for a decision has been set.

The rules provide for Woods to grant leave with respect to the issue of guilt or if the sentence or grading is deemed manifestly excessive.

Should leave be granted, a hearing of the NRL appeals committee, chaired by Sir Laurence Street, would be convened.

Dunley became the first player in 12 years to be suspended for spitting despite evidence from club doctor Paul Bloomfield that the hooker had been forced to spit because he suffered from reflux, a condition in which excess saliva builds up in the throat.

Murphy countered that if Dunley felt an overwhelming need to spit, he could have done it away from Marsh.

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