Source : ABC NEWS
Josh Papali’i’s stop-start beginning to 2026 is set to continue with the Canberra veteran facing a one-match ban for his high shot on Samuel Hughes.
After being sin-binned in the first half of the Raiders’ 14-10 loss to Canterbury, Papali’i was hit with a grade-two high tackle charge on Friday.
Unless he successfully beats the ban at the NRL judiciary, the Raiders prop will miss Canberra’s clash with Cronulla next Sunday.
If the 33-year-old does attempt to fight it and lose, he would then spend a second week on the sidelines.
Papali’i played just 19 minutes in Canberra’s season opener against Manly, before suffering a concussion.
He subsequently missed the Raiders’ round-two loss to the Warriors, before returning on Thursday night against the Bulldogs.
The news was better for Raiders captain Joseph Tapine on Friday, with the fellow starting prop avoiding a ban for his contact on Bulldog Harry Hayes.
Tapine was handed a grade-one charge, meaning he can escape with a $1000 fine.
Canterbury playmaker Lachlan Galvin can also take a $1,000 fine, after being cited for a hip-drop tackle on Canberra second-rower Hudson Young.
Glass shatters in Canberra Stadium coaching box, injuring Bulldogs coach
Canterbury’s coach Cameron Ciraldo has joined growing calls for Canberra Stadium to undergo a facelift after revealing he will need stitches after glass shattered on him in the aging arena.
While the visiting coach was left with a deep gash in his hand, Raiders’ boss Ricky Stuart also weighed in, calling his side’s home arena in the capital a “s***house stadium” and suggesting authorities didn’t care about the state of the 1970s-built venue.
Drama erupted inside the stadium in the dying minutes of the Bulldogs’ gritty 14-10 win against Canberra on Thursday night, when Ciraldo thrust his hand against the glass of his coaching box.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo says he needed stitches for cuts to his hand. (AAP: Jacob Shteyman)
“The box was quite foggy, so we couldn’t see what was happening,” he explained.
“We tried to open the window, and the whole window smashed on us. There was glass all over us, and I’ll need a couple of stitches.
“It’s a great atmosphere, but it deserves an upgrade.”
When informed of his counterpart’s injury, Stuart also lambasted the state of the arena on what had been a wet night in Canberra.
“I’m coming to the change room, and I thought it was raining in there. There’s no good whingeing about it, because the people you’ve got to whinge to don’t give a shit,” said Stuart.
“The people who make decisions about our stadium don’t care about the stadium. They don’t care about the nation’s capital having the shithouse stadium that we have.
“So that’s why I don’t whinge about it. I don’t care. We just make up, and we’ll just do what we have to do, because they don’t care.”
Ciraldo’s injury is the latest issue to plague the venue as pressure has been mounting for the capital’s main stadium to be transformed despite ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr saying it won’t be for another decade.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo says he was trying to open the coach’s box window when it smashed. (AAP: Jacob Shteyman)
Former Wallaby and now Senator David Pocock says it is “clearly past its due date”, adding multiple reports over 17 years have found that the infrastructure needs to be either updated or replaced.
He acknowledged that the ACT government is in a tough budgetary spot, but says Canberrans expect at least a plan.
“It’s just seen as a cost rather than an investment in community, an investment in well-being, and as a country that is grappling with ballooning health budgets, we should be doubling down on ways to get people out, active and connected to their community,” Senator Pocock told AAP.
“We know that one of the challenges in bringing a men’s [soccer] team to Canberra is the state of the stadium.”
Canberra has also missed out on hosting tournaments such as next year’s Rugby World Cup, partly because of the stadium, despite having one of Australia’s most successful rugby teams, the ACT Brumbies.
“The economic impact of having shows and big events coming to Canberra is huge,” Senator Pocock said.
ACT’s Sports Minister Yvette Berry said sport was a big priority, but stood by Barr in saying the government would not need to consider major changes for another decade.
“I understand everybody wants the best stadium in the ACT for spectators,” she told AAP.
“I’ve sort of grown up with all of the changes in the AIS and GIO Stadium, but it really does have a little bit more life left in it.”
“It continues to need maintenance and refurbishment. It’s an older facility, so that will always happen.”
AAP
