The Canberra Raiders Board have made a decision surrounding any further punishment to Josh Papalii, following his conviction in the ACT Magistrates Court last week.
The Board has had the opportunity to consider the amended AFP Statement of Facts and legal documents from his appearance in court and hear from Josh himself when considering their decision.
Following a review of this information, the Board has determined Papalii will be stood down for two weeks which includes the Raiders next premiership match against the Newcastle Knights in round ten. It was felt the further one match suspension was significant enough following the Kangaroos decision to stand down Papalii from Friday nights test match.
Canberra Raiders CEO Don Furner said the Raiders priority throughout the process was Josh’s Welfare and the Board were impressed by his actions in expressing his genuine remorse for the incident.
“The Board’s decision took into account all of the facts surrounding the incident and the determination today has the best interests of both the club and Josh’s welfare,” Furner said. “The Board believes Josh has endured a hefty punishment from both the Court process and by his omission from the Kangaroos team and believed a further one match suspension was the correct punishment.”
“The club will continue to work with Josh in ensuring his welfare remains paramount and will not be making any further comments on what was discussed during this process. As mentioned in the statement on Friday, the club has to ensure that Josh’s personal matters are handled in a sensitive and confidential matter.”
Papalii will be available for selection for the Raiders again for round eleven.