The charge stems from an incident late in Thursday's loss to the Roosters when Ford made a last ditch effort to prevent Luke Keary from scoring the match-winning try in the 75^th minute.

The ban could be reduced to two games with an early guilty plea, which could be entered on Saturday.

The loss is also set to cost the club veteran back-rower Tariq Sims for a stretch after he left the field with an AC joint injury. He'll undergo scans to determine a more solid return timeframe but is facing an extended stint on the sidelines.

It's something the Dragons can ill-afford with Test prop Paul Vaughan missing two games after being ordered into quarantine for breaching COVID protocols on Thursday.

It will see all three out of action for Friday's match against the Eels, while Vaughan was subsequently hit with a $10,000 fine by the NRL on Friday.

Coach Paul McGregor left no doubt as to his feelings about the breach following Thursday's loss.

"We're well aware of what our responsibilities are, we talk about it consistently, so there's no reason for it other than it was selfish behaviour really," McGregor said.

"I haven't spoken to him. We've got a WhatsApp group and I explained the punishment that's been handed to him by the NRL, then concentrated on what we needed to do today.

"It's not what you need from one of your senior players, someone that's important to your footy team. It's disappointing if it was anyone. It's just a behaviour that you shouldn't do.

"We spoke about (doing) whatever it takes and doing the right thing by one another, making sacrifices and that's just one of them. The game's done a lot to get back going so we've got to be respectful of that."