NRL shames Bunker with massive penalty handed down

The NRL match review committee has decimated the Bulldogs with three players wiped out in a move that has embarrassed the Bunker.

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.

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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.

Sitili Tupouniua cannon balled into the Broncos defence. Photo: Fox League.

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.

Sitili Tupouniua was sin binned for the high tackle. Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images.

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.

Originally published as NRL shames Bunker with massive penalty handed down