Brisbane Broncos skipper Ali Brigginshaw has been handed a three-week ban for a dangerous tackle and will miss a major chunk of the rest of the NRLW home-and-away season.
Brigginshaw was sent straight to the judiciary for her tackle on Canterbury’s Tayla Preston during Magic Round at Wagga Wagga.
The Broncos lead the competition with a 5-0 record, but Brigginshaw will now be unavailable until round 9, three games before the finals series.
As Preston ran the ball away from her goal line, Brigginshaw advanced and grabbed the Bulldogs player, then spun her around before lifting her up and bringing her down on her head.
Preston avoided serious injury and Brigginshaw was charged with a grade 3 dangerous throw.
Brigginshaw thanked the judiciary panel for considering her case and reiterated her remorse for the incident.
“I meant absolutely no malice in making the tackle, I apologised to Tayla post-match and have been in contact with her again since, she was accepting of my apology on both occasions,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to getting back on the field in a few weeks and finishing my playing career on a positive note.”
The 36-year-old, who is playing her final season of NRLW before retirement, has not missed a Broncos game since the competition’s inception in 2018.
Sydney Roosters forward Aliyah Nasio was the last NRLW player to be referred directly to the judiciary following a brawl at the conclusion of last year’s grand final, when she struck Brisbane’s Julia Robinson.
Nasio was banned for four matches after being hit with a grade 3 striking charge.
In 2023, Parramatta’s Kennedy Cherrington was also banned for four weeks after being charged with a grade 3 dangerous throw.
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