Canberra captain Joe Tapine has accepted a two-game ban while star winger Xavier Savage will miss one match after pleading guilty to charges from their win over the Warriors in Las Vegas.
Tapine went to the sin bin for shoulder-charging Warriors co-captain Mitch Barnett in the second half of the 30-8 victory that opened the NRL season on Sunday.
He will miss Canberra’s next two games against Brisbane and Manly, avoiding the risk of a third match with an early guilty plea for his grade-two charge.
Savage will miss the Broncos clash for attacking Chanel Harris-Tavita’s legs as he kicked in the first half, also pleading guilty early rather than challenging the grade-two dangerous contact charge.
It’s a huge blow for a Canberra side who missed finals last year but started the season with a bang with an impressive showing against the highly-rated Warriors.
Albert Hopoate appears the frontrunner to come into the backline for the Raiders after he missed the trip to Vegas to attend the birth of his child.
Trey Mooney, Myles Martin and Pasami Saulo are among middle-forward options that could replace Tapine in the 17.
Meanwhile, Rocco Berry has been cleared of a shoulder injury this week, leaving veteran winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak as the only player on the injury list as the Warriors prepare for their first home game of the season against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on Friday.
