Bulldogs star Sitili Tupouniua hit with monster ban for ugly incidents in loss to Broncos

7NEWS

25-04-2025

The aftershocks of Canterbury's first defeat of the season could ripple for more than month as three players face bans following a performance that left Cameron Ciraldo with a 'ball-ache'.
If they take early guilty pleas, Sitili Tupouniua will sit out five games for two separate offences from Thursday's 42-18 loss to Brisbane, Josh Curran will miss three and Matt Burton just one.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Tupouniua in hot water for high knee.
Tupouniua went to the sin bin for a shoulder charge on Brendan Piakura and was lucky to avoid a second visit for lifting his leg into the same man while running the ball.
For his grade-two shoulder charge, Tupouniua has been offered a three-game ban alongside two additional games for the subsequent dangerous contact.
The in-form recruit risks missing seven matches by challenging the charges.
After also being sin-binned, Curran has been offered a grade-two shoulder charge for a shot on Payne Haas and could miss four games by pleading his case at the judiciary.
Influential five-eighth Burton, who only returned from a knee injury last week, could miss two games if he disputes his grade-two careless high tackle on hooker Billy Walters.
Marcelo Montoya has escaped scrutiny for a high shot that made him the third Canterbury player sin-binned, prompting referee Gerard Sutton to caution captain Stephen Crichton over repeated instance of foul play.
The busy charge sheet is the last thing the previously undefeated Bulldogs need as they look to regroup from a humbling loss, having been 34-0 down at halftime.
Bailey Hayward looks set to replace Burton in the halves for the Bulldogs' Magic Round clash with mercurial Gold Coast, while Daniel Suluka-Fifita and Kurtis Morrin appear leading candidates to join the forward pack.
Burton should return for the ensuing tough road trip to Canberra, while Curran is on track to return against the Sydney Roosters in round 11.
Tupouniua will miss subsequent games against the Dolphins and Parramatta with an early plea.
On Thursday night, coach Ciraldo was non-committal when asked whether the three sin-binnings were too harsh.
'I don't know. There was so much going on tonight and no flow to the game,' he said.
'It was one of those games that was hard to watch to be honest. It was a ball-ache to watch for me so I am sure everyone else felt the same. I put that down to us trying too hard.'We have been pretty disciplined for long periods so we can fix it.'
Ciraldo said his side were 'humbled' in the first half at Suncorp Stadium, where errors, penalties, seven-tackle sets and binnings proved costly.
'It was a comedy of errors but we will walk away with plenty of lessons,' he said.
'Number one, we are not good enough to be beaten at the laws of the game like that.
'Number two, we are not good enough to play as individuals. We played as a team in the second half and started to look like the Bulldogs again.
'Number three, we never give up ... we attacked the second half and scored 18 points.
'I am really proud of the second half and filthy at the first half.'