Battling Canberra have received another blow as they look to go on an unlikely run to make the NRL finals with forward Joseph Tapine copping a two-week ban from the NRL judiciary.
Tapine was hit with a grade one dangerous contact charge for his incident with Canterbury hooker Michael Lichaa in the first half at Belmore Sportsground on Saturday.
With carry-over points ensuring he'd be looking at a two-match ban, the 24 year-old second rower opted to fight the charge.
He'll now miss Saturday night's match against North Queensland at GIO Stadium and next week's away clash with Cronulla.
With star forward Shannon Boyd out with a calf injury, Tapine's loss comes as another significant hit to the Raiders.
Already six points out of the eight and with a tough run home the Green Machine will likely need to bank a win against the Cowboys to stay in the hunt for post-season action.
