EXCLUSIVE: Morgan Turinui Left ‘Astounded’ by Lengthy Ban for Hunter Paisami’s Unpunished Hit

Morgan Turinui has expressed his “great surprise” that Queensland Reds inside centre Hunter Paisami will be sidelined for an extended period, particularly after his tackle on Lalomilo Lalomilo went without reprimand.

In the Reds’ impressive 56-36 win over Moana Pasifika, Paisami prevented what seemed to be a certain try in the corner during the 30th minute, colliding with his opponent in a crouched position.

The tackle resulted in Lalomilo being withdrawn from the match.

“He’s not looking great… this is quite a substantial collision,” Justin Harrison commented on Stan Sport at the time.

Since then, Paisami has been cited by the citing commissioner for a hazardous tackle, with the report indicating that ‘the incident met the threshold for a red card due to foul play.’

Discussing the situation on Stan Sport’s Between Two Posts, former Wallabies Nick Phipps and Turinui suggested a likely suspension for Paisami.

“I believe he’ll receive more than just a couple of weeks,” Turinui remarked.

“He’ll probably face a six-week ban, with little reduction from that. It’s noteworthy that this is the citing officer who made the call, not the referees. The referees have indicated they’re satisfied with their on-field decision,” he added.

Turinui further expressed his support for the referee’s judgement.

“It is a forceful, dangerous, high-contact tackle, but I don’t consider it foul play. There was a notable late dip in height, resulting in closeness to the ground. Hunter Paisami had his shoulders low, bent at the hips and knees, making a genuine attempt to save a try, with a significant height dip unfortunately leading to head contact,” he elaborated.

“I believe the referees will feel they made the right decision. I’m quite surprised the citing officer has gone after Hunter Paisami, but since it has happened, he’ll likely have a tough time contesting it. If the entry point is indeed six weeks, given his previous record, they may not allow him to attend tackle school or will check his eligibility, leading to something like a five-week suspension.”

This case will now be reviewed by SANZAAR’s foul play review committee, where Paisami will submit his plea.