Api Koroisau's hopes of securing a State of Origin recall could be jeopardised by the NRL's match review committee after the Wests Tigers hooker was sin-binned during their 31-14 victory over the Canberra Raiders on Thursday night.
Koroisau was sent to the sin bin by referee Ashley Klein midway through the first half for an apparent hip-drop tackle on Raiders forward Noah Martin. The Tigers hooker has already paid $5,800 in fines this season after being hit with three separate dangerous-contact charges.
Koroisau will learn his fate on Friday, and a lengthy suspension could derail the creative dummy-half's bid to return to the NSW squad for the first time since 2023. Benji Marshall's side, who claimed their fifth win of the season in front of 17,153 fans at Leichhardt Oval, have three games remaining before the State of Origin series opener in Sydney on May 27.
There were also concerns for fullback Jahream Bula, who failed to finish the game due to a shoulder injury.
The Raiders could also find themselves in trouble after a first-half mix-up led to debutant Daine Laurie briefly entering the field of play, giving Ricky Stuart's men 14 players. Laurie had no involvement in the play as he was substituted on for Ethan Strange, who overcame an ankle injury to return in the second half.
Laurie was thrown on as Koroisau set up the Tigers' first try by putting in an improvised last-tackle kick to the Raiders' in-goal that sat up perfectly for left winger Luke Laulilii. Strange limped off after Laulilii's try, thrusting Laurie into his first Raiders appearance at NRL level. The Tigers extended their lead when Adam Doueihi ran over Canberra halfback Ethan Sanders.
But Koroisau's 27th-minute sin-binning opened the door for Canberra, who got on the board when Matt Timoko charged back in-field. Strange came back on just before Kaeo Weekes crashed over, with Sanders' two conversions pushing the Raiders ahead. The halfback kicked a penalty goal from right in front to make it 14-10 at the break.
However, the Raiders could not hold on to their lead and failed to score a point after halftime. Taylan May crossed first before Doueihi and Laulilii scored their second tries of the night, and Bula went off injured. The Raiders were unable to mount a comeback and slumped to a 3-5 start, with a Doueihi field goal and a late Royce Hunt try sealing victory for the Tigers.
