The Knights’ impressive victory against the Dolphins in round two has been marred by the suspension of Kai Pearce-Paul, following a serious shoulder charge that resulted in a sin binning. The English back-rower faces a minimum two-week suspension after the NRL classified the offence as grade two.
The NRL’s charge sheet revealed that if Pearce-Paul accepts the charge, he will miss two matches. Should he decide to contest it and lose, he risks being sidelined for three weeks. The incident that led to his sin binning occurred in the 68th minute, after he made high contact with former teammate Daniel Saifiti. The on-field referee, Gerard Sutton, initially missed the incident, which was later brought to attention by Bunker official Ashley Klein while a penalty was being assessed at the opposite end of the field.
Commentary from Andrew Johns highlighted the confusion surrounding the incident, as Pearce-Paul appeared unaware of what had transpired, questioning trainer Danny Buderus about the play after the sin bin was enforced. At that point, the Knights maintained a 26-12 lead with just over 11 minutes left, and despite warnings from Cameron Smith about a potential comeback, the Knights’ defence held strong for the remainder of the match.
While Pearce-Paul’s actions did not change the outcome of the game, his absence will pose a challenge for the Knights in their upcoming match against the Gold Coast Titans. The Titans are known for their formidable forward pack, making the Knights’ visit to Queensland a more difficult prospect without Pearce-Paul’s contributions on the field.