Brisbane winger Josiah Karapani will miss the first two matches of the 2027 NRL season after the league finalised its sanction over a drink-driving offence in June.
The Broncos confirmed on Monday that Karapani had been advised by the NRL of the finalisation of a breach notice determination following the offence.
The NRL has imposed a two-match suspension, to be served in Brisbane’s first two games of the 2027 NRL Premiership, along with a $1500 fine suspended for 12 months.
Karapani must also take part in and complete education and training as directed by the NRL.
No further club sanction
The Broncos said they had already stood Karapani down from Round 18 of the 2026 season over the matter, so no further sanction from the club is contemplated.
According to Nine, Karapani was dropped for Brisbane’s Round 18 game against Cronulla, and the Queensland Rugby League later stopped him from playing in the Queensland Cup for one of the club’s feeder sides, prompting a please-explain from the Rugby League Players Association.
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What happened in June
Nine reported that Karapani was stopped by Queensland Police on the Pacific Motorway in June after being detected travelling nearly 20km/h over the speed limit, and returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.037, above the limit for provisional licence holders.
He also received infringement notices for other offences, including driving an unregistered vehicle, Fox Sports and Nine reported.
Karapani pleaded guilty to the drink-driving offence in court in July, when he was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for three months, with no conviction recorded, Nine reported.
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Broncos wing options
The 24-year-old is contracted to Brisbane until the end of 2027. Fox Sports tipped Deine Mariner and Antonio Verhoeven as the likely wingers for Round 1 while Karapani serves his ban.
The suspension is an early setback for coach Michael Maguire as the Broncos look to bounce back from a 14th-place finish in 2026.
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