NRL 2023: Martin Taupau banned for three weeks in fallout from Broncos win 36-20 over Rabbitohs
Brisbane enforcer Martin Taupau will spend at least three weeks on the sidelines for his moment of madness against South Sydney.
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Broncos prop Martin Taupau faces at least three weeks on the sidelines after being charged by the NRL over his moment of madness against South Sydney on Friday night.
The NRL match-review has levelled a grade-three dangerous contact charge against Taupau for his wild knee lift on Souths centre Campbell Graham which marred Brisbane’s 36-20 victory at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
And the Broncos are also set to lose Taupau’s teammate Jesse Arthars, who faces a one-to-two match suspension after being hit with a grade two careless high tackle charge for his shot on Blake Taaffe.
Taupau will be banned for three games if he lodges an early-guilty plea and four matches if he opts to fight the charge at the NRL judiciary and loses.
Given the nature of the incident, the Broncos veteran will almost certainly accept the former, which would clear him for Brisbane’s round 26 clash against the Raiders in Canberra on Saturday, August 26.
That would be viewed as a positive result for Taupau, with some pundits initially calling for an eight-week ban, a suspension that would have all-but ended his season.
But a three-match suspension will see Taupau return before the finals and be on deck for Brisbane’s sudden-death games as ‘Kapow’ chases an elusive maiden premiership ring.
Taupau shocked the Sunshine Coast Stadium crowd when he charged into Graham from a kick restart and produced a huge goose step before sensationally thrusting his knee so high it almost hit the Souths centre in the face.
Taupau was sin-binned for the incident and several commentators, including Fox League experts Corey Parker, James Graham and Cooper Cronk, believed he should have been sent-off.
A three-game ban will see the 33-year-old miss clashes against the Roosters (h), Cowboys (a) and Parramatta (h) and Broncos coach Kevin Walters vowed to work hard to remove the action from Taupau’s running style.
“He got a warning letter from the NRL through the week (for lifting knees) so Marty was well aware of it,” Walters said after the 36-20 win.
“Marty is not a dirty player but we have to get that out of his game.”
If Arthars takes an early-guilty plea, he will miss this Thursday night’s clash against the Roosters at the Gabba before being available for Brisbane’s round 23 clash with the Cowboys.
Souths coach Jason Demetriou was stunned Taupau was not marched by referee Ashley Klein for launching at Graham.
“It’s dangerous,” he said. “He gets his 10 in the bin. I don’t know what a send-off is these days, do you have to fracture someone’s skull before we take it seriously?”
Queensland Origin legend Cronk added on Fox: “It was a ridiculous decision. I think it was a borderline send off.”
Lucky to just be a bin for Taupau, that was cooked
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) July 21, 2023
Former Broncos skipper Corey Parker believed Taupau deserved up to eight games and says he is lucky to be available for the finals.
“This is the dumbest and most stupid act I have seen in recent years,” Parker said.
“I know Marty and I’m sure he doesn’t mean any malice, but he did a goose step before any intent to lift the knee.
“Campbell Graham is six foot three and it’s hit him high up, if that hits him in the face, it’s scary to think what the result could have been.
“When you are sitting in the sheds after, as a teammate you would look at Marty and say what were you thinking?
“You can’t say he got lazy.
“There was intent, he was running hard, he eyeballed the defender and lifted the knee.
“He got everything wrong.”
Former British Test enforcer Graham, who played with Taupau at the Bulldogs, was stunned by the incident.
“You can’t defend it,” he said.
“It’s one of those moments where you don’t know what you are trying to achieve.
“I don’t think coach Kevin Walters would have argued if he was sent off.”
WALSH MAGIC ROCKS RABBITOHS
Reece Walsh made a stunning return from suspension to seal the Broncos’ finals berth and leave Souths fighting for their season after Brisbane’s 36-20 romp at Sunshine Coast Stadium on Friday night.
Rocked by the pre-game loss of star fullback Latrell Mitchell (calf), the Bunnies are in danger of dropping out of the top eight after crashing to their fourth loss in five games in a bumbling display.
If Souths were sloppy, Brisbane were brilliant, with Walsh atoning for his three-match ban for swearing at a referee by ripping the Rabbitohs apart as he combined with two-try Kotoni Staggs to bury the Bunnies.
The impressive win clinched Brisbane’s first finals campaign since 2019 and now the Broncos, provisionally first, can set their sights on their first minor premiership in 23 years.
The Rabbitohs sniffed victory when Campbell Graham scored on halftime for a 14-12 halftime lead, but Walsh, Staggs and Adam Reynolds wove their magic after the break to flex their title muscle.
"That's ridiculous! There's no reason for him to do that!.
— Fox League (@FOXNRL) July 21, 2023
Martin Taupau was sent to the sin bin for dangerous play.
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REECE LIGHTNING
What a talent. What a player.
Walsh doesn’t need to use his mouth when he can use his natural talent and flashy feet to slice and dice NRL rivals.
After almost a month out, the Maroons maestro tormented Souths. The 21-year-old produced a sizzling 40-metre solo try – and a backflip to boot – to give Brisbane a crucial 18-14 lead before Xavier Willison (58th) and Staggs (62nd) crossed to seal the deal.
Walsh finished with 158 metres, five tackle busts, two line breaks and two try assists in a sublime display.
RED-AND-GREEN RABBLE
Even without Latrell, the Rabbitohs will lament their woeful execution and spate of unforced errors.
Souths had enough ball to put Brisbane away _ they led 14-12 at halftime _ but the Rabbitohs struggled to complete after the break as the Broncos lifted the tempo in defence.
While Graham was impressive in his return from injury, he lacked support as Souths fumbled and bumbled their way to defeat.
UP AND ADAM
Reynolds’ remarkable career continued as the Broncos skipper leapfrogged a rugby league Immortal on the NRL’s all-time pointscoring list.
Playing against his former Souths club, for whom he scored 1896 points, Reynolds (2190) moved past Andrew Johns (2176) to become the fifth highest pointscorer in the premiership’s 115-year history.
Points alone cannot capture Reynolds’ importance. When the game was on the line in the second half, Reynolds stepped up, releasing Staggs for his second try before nailing the coffin shut five minutes from time.
While Souths are crying out for a Mitchell rescue mission, the Broncos can win their first premiership since 2006.
Originally published as NRL 2023: Martin Taupau banned for three weeks in fallout from Broncos win 36-20 over Rabbitohs
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