Latest news with #Piakura


The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
No charge for Bronco's shot that injured Warriors No.7
Brendan Piakura has escaped sanction for the shot that injured Luke Metcalf's knee and threw the Warriors star's season into doubt. Piakura went on report in the second half of Brisbane's 26-12 win on Saturday for hitting Metcalf after he had passed the ball. Warriors coach Andrew Webster said medical staff could not rule out an anterior cruciate ligament tear for Metcalf, who has an extensive injury history. Webster said Metcalf would not play the Warriors' next game on July 13 and would be joined on the sidelines by fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, who also went down with a knee issue against the Broncos. On Sunday morning, the match review committee opted against charging Piakura altogether for the late hit. Metcalf is in the midst of a breakout year and had been leading the Dally M Medal race when voting went behind closed doors after round 12. Any long-term injury for the halfback would be a big blow to their hopes of a top-four finish, and would blow the Dally M race wide open. The Warriors have lost their past two games but face only one more top-four side, Canterbury, on the run home. Te Maire Martin appears the likeliest candidate to join Chanel Harris-Tavita in the halves to face Wests Tigers in a fortnight, but Tanah Boyd is an option for a club debut. Elsewhere, Parramatta second-rower Kelma Tuilagi has been offered a three-game ban for a crusher tackle that enraged future Eels teammate Jack de Belin. A fracas erupted when Tuilagi bent St George Illawarra forward de Belin awkwardly in a tackle during the Dragons' 34-20 win in Wollongong on Saturday night. Tuilagi will miss upcoming games against Penrith, Canberra and Brisbane with an early guilty plea, in another blow to a Parramatta side already without Mitch Moses. He risks missing a fourth game, against Melbourne, by challenging the charge. Tuilagi is set to become the third Eels player sidelined through suspension, with hooker Ryley Smith and centre Will Penisini offered big bans after last week's win over Gold Coast. Parramatta prop Jack Williams can accept a $1000 fine for his high shot on Dragons forward Emre Guler. Brendan Piakura has escaped sanction for the shot that injured Luke Metcalf's knee and threw the Warriors star's season into doubt. Piakura went on report in the second half of Brisbane's 26-12 win on Saturday for hitting Metcalf after he had passed the ball. Warriors coach Andrew Webster said medical staff could not rule out an anterior cruciate ligament tear for Metcalf, who has an extensive injury history. Webster said Metcalf would not play the Warriors' next game on July 13 and would be joined on the sidelines by fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, who also went down with a knee issue against the Broncos. On Sunday morning, the match review committee opted against charging Piakura altogether for the late hit. Metcalf is in the midst of a breakout year and had been leading the Dally M Medal race when voting went behind closed doors after round 12. Any long-term injury for the halfback would be a big blow to their hopes of a top-four finish, and would blow the Dally M race wide open. The Warriors have lost their past two games but face only one more top-four side, Canterbury, on the run home. Te Maire Martin appears the likeliest candidate to join Chanel Harris-Tavita in the halves to face Wests Tigers in a fortnight, but Tanah Boyd is an option for a club debut. Elsewhere, Parramatta second-rower Kelma Tuilagi has been offered a three-game ban for a crusher tackle that enraged future Eels teammate Jack de Belin. A fracas erupted when Tuilagi bent St George Illawarra forward de Belin awkwardly in a tackle during the Dragons' 34-20 win in Wollongong on Saturday night. Tuilagi will miss upcoming games against Penrith, Canberra and Brisbane with an early guilty plea, in another blow to a Parramatta side already without Mitch Moses. He risks missing a fourth game, against Melbourne, by challenging the charge. Tuilagi is set to become the third Eels player sidelined through suspension, with hooker Ryley Smith and centre Will Penisini offered big bans after last week's win over Gold Coast. Parramatta prop Jack Williams can accept a $1000 fine for his high shot on Dragons forward Emre Guler. Brendan Piakura has escaped sanction for the shot that injured Luke Metcalf's knee and threw the Warriors star's season into doubt. Piakura went on report in the second half of Brisbane's 26-12 win on Saturday for hitting Metcalf after he had passed the ball. Warriors coach Andrew Webster said medical staff could not rule out an anterior cruciate ligament tear for Metcalf, who has an extensive injury history. Webster said Metcalf would not play the Warriors' next game on July 13 and would be joined on the sidelines by fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, who also went down with a knee issue against the Broncos. On Sunday morning, the match review committee opted against charging Piakura altogether for the late hit. Metcalf is in the midst of a breakout year and had been leading the Dally M Medal race when voting went behind closed doors after round 12. Any long-term injury for the halfback would be a big blow to their hopes of a top-four finish, and would blow the Dally M race wide open. The Warriors have lost their past two games but face only one more top-four side, Canterbury, on the run home. Te Maire Martin appears the likeliest candidate to join Chanel Harris-Tavita in the halves to face Wests Tigers in a fortnight, but Tanah Boyd is an option for a club debut. Elsewhere, Parramatta second-rower Kelma Tuilagi has been offered a three-game ban for a crusher tackle that enraged future Eels teammate Jack de Belin. A fracas erupted when Tuilagi bent St George Illawarra forward de Belin awkwardly in a tackle during the Dragons' 34-20 win in Wollongong on Saturday night. Tuilagi will miss upcoming games against Penrith, Canberra and Brisbane with an early guilty plea, in another blow to a Parramatta side already without Mitch Moses. He risks missing a fourth game, against Melbourne, by challenging the charge. Tuilagi is set to become the third Eels player sidelined through suspension, with hooker Ryley Smith and centre Will Penisini offered big bans after last week's win over Gold Coast. Parramatta prop Jack Williams can accept a $1000 fine for his high shot on Dragons forward Emre Guler.

News.com.au
25-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
NRL shames Bunker with massive penalty handed down
The NRL Match Review Committee (MRC) has decimated the Bulldogs with three star players wiped out through suspension. The MRC on Friday morning announced Josh Curran, Matt Burton and Sitili Tupouniua are facing suspensions after several ugly moments in the team's 42-18 loss to the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night. Canterbury had a night to forget with three players sent to the sin bin — but they were lucky Tupouniua wasn't sent from the field for a second time. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Tupouniua has been hit hardest, receiving a three match ban for his first half shoulder charge high tackle on Broncos defender Brendan Piakura. He has been hit with an additional two match ban for a second foul act where he raised his knees while running at Piakura in the second half. You can watch the incident in the video player above. It could get worse for the Dogs if they elect to challenge the suspensions instead of accepting the early guilty plea. Curran is also facing three weeks on the sidelines for his shoulder charge on Payne Haas in the 10th minute of the game. Matt Burton is also facing a one match ban for his high tackle on Billy Walters. It is Tupouniua's dangerous knee lift that got most people talking on Thursday night. Replays showed the Bulldogs' second-rower collected Piakura in the head with his knee and then followed up with another kicking motion that also collected Piakura again as he slumped in the tackle attempt. Referee Gerard Sutton spotted Tupouniua's act and immediately awarded the Broncos a penalty and put Tupouniua on report. After reviewing the incident the video match official in the Bunker informed Sutton that the incident warranted no further action. The NRL's much maligned video referee system is under fire again with the MRC's punishments showing just how wrong the call was that allowed Tupouniua to remain on the field. Leading rugby league journalist Phil Rothfield posted on X: 'How the f*** is Tupouniua not in the sin bin. Kneed a bloke in the head' He went on to write: 'This actually could have been a send off. Sin bin at very least. The NRL has completely lost the plot with the bunker.' Roosters legend Brad Fittler said on Nine: 'You can't have that'. Bulldogs cult hero Michael Ennis also said Tupouniua was 'lucky to stay on the field'. Sport journalist John Dean wrote: 'Tupouniua should be in the bin again'. Another fan posted: 'Tupouniua should be binned. That's garbage. Knee raised as high as possible. Hits a tackler in the head... what are we doing here?' The act of foul play came just eight minutes after the former Roosters forward had returned to the field after serving his 10-minute sentence in the sin bin for a high tackle. Marcelo Montoya was the third Bulldogs player to be sent to the bin on Thursday night made while Broncos flyer Deine Mariner was also binned in the 73rd minute when hitting Viliame Kikau high. Despite the big win, the Broncos have plenty of other concerns. Broncos star Adam Reynolds had the ball on a string throughout the match, but he left the field in the final minutes with a shoulder injury. With prop Haas on fire and Selwyn Cobbo impressing at fullback in Reece Walsh's absence, Brisbane looked near unstoppable. It was the first time the Bulldogs have lowered their colours this season after a red hot start to 2025. The Dogs remain one of the teams to beat this year, but the Broncos brought Canterbury fans back down to Earth on Thursday night.

News.com.au
25-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘Lost the plot': Bulldog's foul act sparks outrage across the game
Everyone saw it except the Bunker. The NRL's much maligned video referee system is under fire again after Bulldogs star Sitili Tupouniua got away with an ugly act during his team's 42-18 loss to the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night. Canterbury had a night to forget with three players sent to the sin bin — but they were lucky Tupouniua wasn't sent from the field for a second time. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. NRL commentators were almost universally gobsmacked that Tupouniua was able to stay on the field and did not receive at least a sin bin after he raised his knees while running at Broncos defender Brendan Piakura in the second half. You can watch the incident in the video player above. Replays showed the Bulldogs' second-rower collected Piakura in the head with his knee and then followed up with another kicking motion that also collected Piakura again as he slumped in the tackle attempt. Referee Gerard Sutton spotted Tupouniua's act and immediately awarded the Broncos a penalty and put Tupouniua on report. After reviewing the incident the video match official informed Sutton that the incident warranted no further action. The Bunker madness boggled the mind of some fans. Leading rugby league journalist Phil Rothfield posted on X: 'How the f*** is Tupouniua not in the sin bin. Kneed a bloke in the head' He went on to write: 'This actually could have been a send off. Sin bin at very least. The NRL has completely lost the plot with the bunker.' Roosters legend Brad Fittler said on Nine: 'You can't have that'. Bulldogs cult hero Michael Ennis also said Tupouniua was 'lucky to stay on the field'. Sport journalist John Dean wrote: 'Tupouniua should be in the bin again'. Another fan posted: 'Tupouniua should be binned. That's garbage. Knee raised as high as possible. Hits a tackler in the head... what are we doing here?' The act of foul play came just eight minutes after the former Roosters forward had returned to the field after serving his 10-minute sentence in the sin bin for a high tackle. Prop Josh Curran was the first Bulldogs player sent to the sin bin in the first half for another high tackle on Broncos forward Payne Haas. Tupouniua was the second and then Marcelo Montoya made it a triple binning when he was given his marching orders in the second half. Broncos flyer Deine Mariner was binned in the 73rd minute when hitting Viliame Kikau high. Despite the big win, the Broncos have plenty of other concerns. Broncos star Adam Reynolds had the ball on a string throughout the match, but he left the field in the final minutes with a shoulder injury. With prop Haas on fire and Selwyn Cobbo impressing at fullback in Reece Walsh's absence, Brisbane looked near unstoppable. It was the first time the Bulldogs have lowered their colours this season after a red hot start to 2025. The Dogs remain one of the teams to beat this year, but the Broncos brought Canterbury fans back down to Earth on Thursday night.