NRL Judiciary Round 11: Josh Papalii, Brent Naden and Justin Olam suspended

21-05-2024
5 min read
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It was a mixed result for the Canberra Raiders as the NRL Match Review Committee banned Josh Papalii but only fined Jordan Rapana.

Papalii will miss one match with an early plea for a dangerous tackle, while Rapana escaped a ban for putting illegal pressure on the kicker.

Elsewhere, two Wests Tigers players copped punishment for their tackles during a loss to the Dolphins. 

Take a look at all the Round 11 NRL Judiciary charges below:

MORE: 2024 NRL live ladder | Every NRL club's updated injury list | Every NRL fixture and result for each club 

Justin Olam and Brent Naden suspended

The Tigers went down 24-12 to the Dolphins in the final game of Magic Round, but the scoreline could have been a lot uglier after two players were sent to the sin-bin. 

Brent Naden copped a spell in the bin for dangerous contact on Jack Bostock, before Justin Olam joined him in the sheds after being cited for a dangerous tackle on Jamayne Isaako. 

Naden has accepted a one-match ban with an early guilty plea for his charge.

The same outcome applies to Olam after he was hit with a Grade 2 Dangerous Contact charge. 

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Meanwhile, Jackson Ford, James Fisher-Harris and Nelson Asofa-Solomona were also cited following Sunday's games. 

Jack Hetherington cited for high tackle

Newcastle forward Jack Hetherington has been cited for a high tackle on Beau Fermor during his side's nail-biting win over the Gold Coast. 

The Knights' prop was put on report after the Bunker assessed contact that he made on the Titans' backrower early in the second half. 

He will have to pay a $1,800 fine with an early guilty plea or risks a $2,500 fine if he argues the charge and is found guilty. 

Keenan Palasia was also charged for a high tackle in the same game and will have to pay a $1,000 fine with an early guilty plea. 

Meanwhile, in the third and final game on Saturday, Dion Teaupa has been cited for a high shot which saw him sent to the sin-bin after smacking Tom Dearden in the nose. 

Raiders win some and lose some after Match Review

Papalii was suspended for one match with an early plea for his hip drop tackle on Viliame Kikau, which landed the Raider in the sin-bin.

In better news for Canberra, Rapana will only cop a $1,000 fine for his charge of grade-one dangerous contact tripping on Reed Mahoney.

With five minutes remaining in the game, Rapana made contact with Mahoney with his leg after the Bulldog hooker kicked the ball.

Full Round 11 Judiciary charge list

Player Charge Opponent Early plea Guilty at panel
Justin Olam Dangerous Contact (Grade 2) Jamayne Isaako 1 match 2 matches
Brent Naden Dangerous Contact (Grade 2) Jack Bostock 1 match 2 matches
Nelson Asofa-Solomona Dangerous Contact (Grade 1) Maika Sivo $1,000 $1,500
James Fisher-Harris Dangerous Contact (Grade 1) Dylan Walker $1,000 $1,500
Jackson Ford Dangerous Throw (Grade 1) Matt Eisenhuth $1,000 $1,500
Dion Teaupa High Tackle - Careless (Grade 1) Tom Dearden $1,000 $1,500
Keenan Palasia High Tackle - Careless (Grade 1) Enari Tuala $1,000 $1,500
Jack Hetherington High Tackle - Careless (Grade 1) Beau Fermor $1,800 $2,500
Brendan Piakura High Tackle - Careless (Grade 1) Corey Waddell $1,000 $1,500
Josh Papalii Dangerous Contact (Grade 2) Viliame Kikau 1 match 2 match
Jordan Rapana Dangerous Contact - Tripping (Grade 1) Reed Mahoney $1,000 $1,500
Joseph Tapine High Tackle - Careless (Grade 1) Viliame Kikau $1,000 $1,500