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Jordan Rapana charged by Match Review Committee following high shot

Two Canterbury forwards have also attracted charges following Sunday’s trial against Cronulla.

Published by
Jack Blyth

Ricky Stuart can breathe a sigh of relief after fill-in fullback Jordan Rapana was slapped with a fine for his high shot on Adam Doueihi.

Despite wearing the No. 1 jersey, Rapana shifted to the left wing before kick-off in Canberra's final trial against the Wests Tigers, resulting in the New Zealand international being sin-binned before half-time.

The 33-year-old rushed out of the line to shut down a Tigers' right-side shift, however the winger ended up catching five-eighth Adam Doueihi high, leaving the Raiders down a man for ten minutes, and putting Ratana's Round 1 availability in doubt.

However, the NRL has slapped Rapana with a grade one careless high tackle, meaning an early guilty plea will cost the outside back $3,000, and leave him free to face North Queensland in Round 1.

If Rapana fights the charge and loses at the judiciary, the Kiwi will miss two matches for Canberra.

Two Canterbury props in Ryan Sutton and Max King also attracted the ire of the judiciary.

Both middle forwards were pinged with grade one dangerous contact charges, Sutton for first-half contact with Blake Brailey while King was slapped with the charge for a second-half incident with Braden Hamlin-Uele.

Neither will miss a match though, an early guilty plea handing the respective props $1,000 fines, while if either of the pair challenge the decision and lose, they'll be forced to pay $1,500.

It's a luck break for the Bulldogs, who this morning announced Tevita Pangai Junior would be sidelined until at least Round 4 with a calf strain.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 03: Max King of the Bulldogs warms up prior to the round four NRL match between the Melbourne Storm and the Canterbury Bulldogs at AAMI Park on April 03, 2022, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

Sebastian Kris played fullback in the trial for the Raiders, despite being named at left centre, however failed to impress during his stint at the back, opening the door for Rapana to return there.

Canberra have a beyond average record when Rapana does play fullback, winning just four of 13 games with the 33-year-old at the back.

Ricky Stuart will unveil his intentions when he names his Round 1 side next Tuesday before the club travels north to Townsville for the opener.

Published by
Jack Blyth