Josiah Karapani will miss the first two games of the 2027 NRL season after the league handed him a two-game sanction over a June drink-driving offence.
Karapani will also be required to undergo education and training as advised by the league and was handed a fine for $1500, which was suspended for a period of 12 months.
Josiah Karapani (right) has been suspended. Bradley Kanaris
The Broncos previously stood down Karapani over the same incident, prompting a please explain from the Rugby League Players Association.
In June, Karapani was stopped by Queensland Police on the Pacific Motorway after he was detected speeding at nearly 20km over the limit.
He was breathalysed and registered a blood alcohol reading of 0.037 – above the provisional licence holder limit.
He also received multiple other infringement notices for other offences including “driving an unregistered vehicle”, which prompted the Brisbane club to notify NRL’s Integrity Unit.
The Broncos took matters into their own hands, standing down Karapani for Brisbane’s round 18 game against Cronulla and instead played him in the Queensland Cup.
But then the Queensland Rugby League stepped in, banning Karapani from playing for one of the Broncos’ feeder clubs in the Queensland Cup, prompting the RLPA investigation.
In his court appearance in July, the winger pled guilty to the drink-driving offence, was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for three months. No conviction was recorded.
Karapani will now be on the sidelines as Michael Maguire aims to see his squad bounce back from a 14th-place finish in the 2026 season. The 24-year-old has a contract with the Broncos until the end of next season and, on November 1, entered NRL free agency for 2028 and beyond.