Viliame Kikau injured, Harry Hayes offered one-match ban for tripping on dirty night for Dogs
Updated . First published
The Bulldogs' heavy loss to the Broncos delivered another whack some 16 hours after the fulltime siren.
With about 10 minutes to go in the first half, Harry Hayes had a mega brain fade and tripped Adam Reynolds. He was unsurprisingly sent to the sin bin, and the Broncos crossed twice while a man down.
On Saturday, he was hit with a grade two dangerous contact (tripping) charge, and offered one match in the stands. He'll get a second if he fights the charge and loses.
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It was the second big blow of the night, after star forward Viliame Kikau was ruled out with a pec injury.
All told, the Broncos thumped the Bulldogs 32-12 – and did so without Payne Haas, Corey Jensen, Patrick Carrigan, Ben Hunt and their superstar fullback, Reece Walsh.
Harry Hayes has been offered a one-match ban for tripping Adam Reynolds. Nine
The full-time scoreline flattered the Bulldogs, who fell behind 26-0 before scoring some consolation points.
But the Broncos will also be down another player next week against the Roosters. Preston Riki was also offered a one-match ban after he was hit with a grade two careless high tackle charge for a hit on Jonathan Sua in the second half.
Kikau injured his right pec in the ninth minute when he attempted to tackle Karapani and slipped. His arm hit the winger's hips and his pec overextended.
He tried to play through the pain but succumbed in the 21st minute.
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Viliame Kikau after hurting his pec. Getty
"He's a tough guy, Billy, so the fact he had to go off isn't great signs," Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo said in his post-game press conference.
"But I thought Sitili Tupouniua came on and did a really strong job on that edge, and it's going to be an opportunity for someone else there."
With Kikau in the sheds and the Bulldogs trailing 10-0, Canterbury's night grew uglier when Hayes tripped Reynolds in the 29th minute.
The veteran Broncos halfback put in a kick and took off on a chase when Hayes, who had turned, stuck out his right leg, sending Reynolds diving like a penguin.
Referee Wyatt Raymond didn't notice the trip in real time but Reynolds challenged and the replays were conclusive.
Hayes was marched to the sin bin, Reynolds potted over a penalty goal to extend Brisbane's lead to 12-0, and with one man down Canterbury were powerless to stop a sweeping backline play that culminated in a Deine Mariner try on the right wing in the 33rd minute.
In the 38th minute, at which point Hayes still had one minute left in the sin bin, the reigning premiers chalked up another try via Cory Paix. Brisbane busted through the defensive line in their own half and the hooker loomed up on the inside of Mariner and raced away to score.
Hayes and Riki weren't the only two players sanctioned on what turned out to be a busy morning for the match review committee, with eight players hit with nine charges.
From the Bulldogs-Broncos clash, Ezra Mam and Stephen Crichton were both charged with tripping, while Matt Burton was perhaps lucky not to be suspended for a dangerous throw on Kotoni Staggs. All three were fined.
From the earlier game, Reuben Cotter was handed separate fines for separate hits on Toby Rudolf, while Cowboys teammate Reed Mahoney was fined for contrary conduct on Sifa Talakai. Billy Burns was also fined for dangerous contact on Tom Chester.
