Watch as Bulldogs star lands in hot water over brutal knee collision - as concerns mount for star Broncos playmaker
Tupouniua had been sent to the sin bin earlier in the match for a high tackle, but was lucky to avoid another sanction in the second half.
Footy journalist Phil Rothfield took to X to criticised the NRL for their operation of the bunker review system.
'This actually could have been a send off,' Rothfield wrote.
'Sin bin at the very least. The NRL has completely lost the plot with the bunker.'
He added: 'How the F**** is Tupouniua not in the sin bin. Kneed a bloke to the head.'
This actually could have been a send off. Sin bin at very least. The NRL has completely lost the plot with the bunker pic.twitter.com/ILS4fDLiZH
— BUZZ ROTHFIELD (@BuzzRothfield) April 24, 2025
In one of his best-ever games, Adam Reynolds was the perfect puppeteer behind a Payne Haas-inspired Brisbane forward pack that dismantled competition leaders Canterbury in a stunning 42-18 win.
Reynolds left the field in the 75th minute clutching his right shoulder which he injured when scoring a try in the first half.
He appeared next to Michael Maguire for a post match press conference and opened up on the shoulder injury.
'It's a little sore,' he said. 'It sort of went dead on me when I scored the try.
'Pins and needles in it, got it pretty bad that last one. It's OK now but I'll see the medical staff when we get back.'
Reynolds added that his aim is to play every week but refused to be drawn on whether he would play next week.
In pouring rain the Broncos did a Bulldogs on the Bulldogs at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night, pulverising them in the middle in a riotous first half but also dazzling them out wide to inflict the first loss of the season on the visitors.
It was hardly believable that a Bulldogs side that had not conceded a point in the previous two matches trailed 34-0 at halftime.
At that stage Brisbane had missed just three tackles to their opponents' 24.
The visitors were ill-disciplined and had forward Josh Curran and Tupouniua sin-binned, for hits on Payne Haas and Brendan Piakura respectively.
Broncos halfback and captain Reynolds, in his 295th game, wants to play on in 2026 and after this performance he will have no shortage of suitors. The Broncos will have to pull out all stops to re-sign the 34-year-old.
By halftime he had scored a try and laid on three, two with pinpoint chip kicks for Deine Mariner to score. He put rampaging second-rower Xavier Willison in after two minutes and never looked back.
Reynolds also conjured a 40/20, another of his box of tricks. In the next set his halves partner Ben Hunt fired a cutout pass and winger Jesse Arthars had his 10th try of the season.
The performance of Haas was on another planet. He set Reynolds up for his try with a pass after rampaging into a hole.
Haas's first 33-minute stint yielded 140m from 15 runs.
Fullback Selwyn Cobbo, switching from wing to replace injured Reece Walsh, was accomplished at the back in just his third starting appearance in the role and played tough after injuring a shoulder.
His left-side raid and silky pass put centre Gehamat Shibasaki over in the corner.
Montoya, who was put on report twice in the match, got the Bulldogs on the board courtesy of a neat Viliame Kikau pass.
Bulldogs second-rower Jacob Preston crossed after a Toby Sexton bomb and Bronson Xerri was recipient of another Kikau pass. Mariner was binned for hitting Kikau high to become the fourth sin-binning of the match.
Bulldogs playmaker Matt Burton was also put on report for a high tackle on Billy Walters, who scored late to ice the win for Brisbane.
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