Timana Tahu is set to miss the third State of Origin rugby league match as he faces a four to five match suspension.

Tahu has been charged with a grade three reckless high tackle for what appeared to be a high swinging arm hit on Newcastle winger James McManus during his Parramatta team's 6-4 NRL loss to the Knights at Energy Australia Stadium on Monday night.

With carry over points from a previous offence, that would rule the NSW winger out for four matches with an early guilty plea or five matches if he unsuccessfully contests the charge at a hearing.

It would mean dual international Tahu misses the third Origin match at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on July 7 when NSW will seek to avoid a Queensland clean sweep.

Tahu's seventh minute hit on McManus sparked a scuffle on the field and he was sinbinned a minute later following another punch-up after his high shoulder charge on Knights prop Ben Cross.

It was 29-year-old Tahu's first match since he walked out of the NSW Origin II camp over racist remarks made by Knights great Johns, who subsequently resigned his assistant coach role.

But he denied the return to Newcastle was a factor.

"It was a big week in the build up to the game, but it didn't really matter if it was Newcastle or not," Tahu told reporters at the Eels' recovery session on Tuesday.

"That's the way I play, I'm an aggressive player."

Tahu confirmed he had not been sledged before the incidents which saw him sin-binned.

And he denied he had fired himself up in response to allegations from former players that racism had been part of the Newcastle club for years.

"That's the way I came out, I did the same thing in Origin I, it's the way I've been playing all year," Tahu said.

Tahu was speaking before news of his judiciary charge came out and he said he was still hopeful of returning to the NSW team for Origin III next month if he could avoid suspension.

"I still want to represent my state, it's the best thing that happened to me for a while," he said.

"If I do get selected it will be a bonus for me."

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