Canberra's Jordan Rapana could miss the first month of the NRL season after twice being reported for shoulder charges during the Māori All Stars' fiery 16-10 win over the Indigenous All Stars.
After conceding the opening try, the Māori ran in three unanswered four-pointers before hanging tough amid a last-ditch Indigenous surge at Western Sydney Stadium on a wet Saturday night.
Warriors forward Josh Curran (head knock) was the only obvious injury concern, the Indigenous lock walking off under his own steam after incidentally copping the hip of Rapana while chasing a grubber.
Having initially found trouble with a bracing hit on David Fifita, Māori fullback Rapana was sin-binned later in the first quarter for a shot on Jessie Ramien that almost caused tensions to boil over.
Rapana faces a lengthy suspension considering there are two previous non-similar grade-one offences on his record, meaning 40 per cent loading (20 per cent for each prior) would be applied to a potential ban.
The base penalty for a grade-one shoulder charge is 200 demerit points (two matches) while a grade-two warrants 350 demerit points. An early guilty plea affords players a 25 per cent discount.
If sidelined, Rapana could be replaced on the wing for the Raiders by exciting teenager Xavier Savage, who made an impression in two NRL appearances last season.
Indigenous prop Andrew Fifita, who completed a remarkable comeback from a life-threatening throat injury suffered last season, was also sent to cool off for 10 minutes for sparking the mass push-and-shove.
Gold Coast forward Fifita wowed as the 21-year-old bulldozed three defenders during a 50-metre burst to assist a Ramien try in the 12th minute before being cleaned up by Rapana.
The Māori side struck back when halfback Kodi Nikorima strolled over the line, thanks to a couple of smart offloads from his co-captain Joe Tapine and prop James Fisher-Harris.
Esan Marsters then put the Māori in the lead early in the second half after benefiting from a backline shift.
With Ramien sin-binned for a professional foul late in the third quarter, the Māori took advantage and extended the margin when Tapine powered his way to the in-goal.
Nineteen-year-old St George Illawarra flyer Tyrell Sloan pulled a try back for the Indigenous All Stars in the final term as he zoomed onto a lovely kick from five-eighth Nicho Hynes.
Indigenous captain Josh Addo-Carr went close to pouncing on a grubber to potentially salvage a draw in the dying moments but Reimis Smith beat him to the ball.
Indigenous women inspired by Chapman
In the earlier game, Jaime Chapman overcame a calf injury to claim player of the match honours in the Indigenous All Stars' 18-8 win over the Maori Ferns.
The 19-year-old St George Illawarra winger collected a try double and the Trish Hina Medal as the Indigenous women avenged last year's 24-0 rugby league defeat.
Chapman pushed her tight calf to the limit when she swooped on an error and bolted 90 metres to break the deadlock in the second quarter.
Indigenous coach Ben Jeffries revealed Chapman had been "wrapped in cotton wool" and wasn't confirmed to start until she passed a fitness test on Friday.
Indigenous fullback Tamika Upton, a two-time NRLW premiership winner with Brisbane, enjoyed a strong maiden All Stars appearance and set up Chapman's second try with a sensational cut-out pass.
AAP
Here's a look back at how the night unfolded.
Live updates
By Jon Healy
That's us done for the night
Thanks for sticking with me through a long day of blogging.
Congrats to the women's Indigenous side and the men's Māori team on their wins, but it's just a great event.
I'm glad that after years of experimenting with the concept they landed on this hat means so much to so many, and that was clear again tonight.
Enjoy the rest of your evening, team, and I'll see you later!
By Jon Healy
All Stars to NZ?
Māori All Stars co-captain Kodi Nikorima says he hopes the NRL moves next year's All Stars game to New Zealand, which has been starved of top-flight rugby league since the start of the pandemic.
Nikorima says it'd be a great move and says it's "up to Abdo to make it happen", speaking directly to NRL boss Andrew Abdo, who's on stage with him.
Love applying a bit of public pressure.
By Jon Healy
Māori All Stars captain Joe Tapine wins player of the game
By Jon Healy
FULL-TIME: Māori All Stars beat the Indigenous All Stars 16-10
There was certainly a lot of football played in that 80 minutes. You couldn't say it was of the highest standard, but it's never going to be in that weather with a group of guys who have only had a week together to prepare after months without a game.
Still, there were some seriously exciting flashes and it's good to have rugby league back.
Joe Tapine may be player of the game as captain. He was sensational and probably should have had two tries, rather than just the one.
You can see how much this means to the players. More than a few Indigenous All Stars players are in tears.
By Jon Healy
Two minutes left: Harper knocks on in playing the ball, so the Indigenous All Stars have one more set starting 40 metres away from the Māori line.
What can they create?
Nothing much, but they get six more as Nikorima strikes out at Hynes's grubber!
Reimis Smith knocks a grubber dead with Josh Addo-Carr on his hammer! That's it!
Wait, no. We've got a captain's challenge. Addo-Carr wanted Smith pinged for interference as they raced for Brent Naden's grubber, but it was a desperation challenge.
By Jon Healy
Four minutes left: The Indigenous All Stars pack a scrum 10 metres off their own line, but there's nothing on. I'd have thought they might try some sort of shape with Josh Addo-Carr, Selwyn Cobbo, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Tyrell Sloan in the backline, but just one out.
By Jon Healy
Fourth quarter: Morgan Harper and Reimis Smith somehow stay in the field of play as the Māoris go down the right, and the Indigenous All Stars are pinged for throwing Smith into touch after the tackle was complete. More pressure on the Indigenous line.
By Jon Healy
Fourth quarter: Albert Kelly comes up with a 40/20!
Nicho Hynes and Josh Addo-Carr broke on the left to finally give the Indigenous side some metres off their tryline, and the ball eventually came back to Kelly in the midfield. It looked like he'd mis-hit his attempt, but it just rolled perfectly.
Oh but Kelly's gone from hero to zero, knocking on right under the posts. No good.
By Jon Healy
Fourth quarter: It's all happening out there!
Nicho Hynes bombed so high that everyone lost it, then it bounced back 15 metres. Andrew Fifita tried a chip and chase, but Chanel Harris-Taita exploded back in the other direction and made it inside the Indigenous 20m zone, but Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow mowed him down from nowhere.
Wow.
Now the Indigenous All Stars have to truck it off their own line in the face of fired-up Māori defence.
By Jon Healy
Nicho Hynes orchestrates a try for Tyrell Sloan. Game back on!
It was another perfectly weighted chip over the top and across the field into dead space, and young Dragon Tyrell Sloan streaked past Esan Marsters to dive in and touch down. That was very neat and tidy from both Hynes and Sloan.
By Jon Healy
Fourth quarter: Josh Addo-Carr unleashes Brent Naden? What's going on there? The Foxx is in the centres.
Regardless, Naden couldn't find him back on the inside after the break (may have been some off-ball interference), but the Indigenous All Stars get six more
But Patrick Herbert won't let them use it! He's come up with a huge shot to force the knock-on and get the ball back in Māori hands.
By Jon Healy
Fourth quarter: Does Nicho Hynes have a 40/20 to start us off? No, just stepped on the line. Painfully close to the miracle play.
By Jon Healy
3QT: Māori All Stars 16-6 Indigenous All Stars
The Māori All Stars are not playing wet-weather football and it's working. A couple of times they've tried the hero ball when they should've maybe taken the tackle, but you can forgive them that considering the occasion.
The Indigenous All Stars just don't seem to have any go-forward. And of course the rain and fatigue isn't helping, with ball security at an all-time low. I don't know how they get back into the game.
By Jon Healy
Third quarter - two minutes left: The Indigenous All Stars regather the short kick-off, but the left-side attack ends with Selwyn Cobbo basically spiking the ball in the face of surging Māori All Stars defence.
By Jon Healy
Joe Tapine extends the lead for the Māori All Stars!
He's been brilliant tonight, and that was a remarkable effort, skipping and sliding past the defenders close to the line and then reaching over the top to slam the ball down. They can't take this one off him.
The Māori All Stars lead 16-6 as Kodi Nikorima slots the conversion from next to the posts with just over two minutes left in the third quarter.
By Jon Healy
Another sin-binning!
This time it's Jesse Ramien for pulling Kenny Bromwich out of the contest as the Māoris tried to attack down the left. The job just got a lot harder for the Indigenous All Stars with five minutes left in the third quarter.
By Jon Healy
Third quarter: I'm not sure how, but the Māori All Stars are playing flashy footy.
A right-side shift ends with a knock-on, but only after a series of offloads and short passes, but Reimis Smith just can't quite handle Rapana's backhand flick on the right wing.
By Jon Healy
Could we have a penalty try?
No, but it looked nasty. And Josh Curran isn't well.
He was chasing after a Hynes grubber and copped an almighty shot from Rpana in the process, but this time Rapana didn't do anything illegal.
Warriors teammate Jazz Tevaga checks on Curran, who's getting his head and neck checked. Don't think he'll play any further part in this game.
By Jon Healy
Third quarter: Another knock-on after a risky James Fisher-Harris offload 15 metres away from his own tryline. What can the Indigenous All Stars manufacture from the scrumbase?
Not much. Just give it to Nicho Hynes and hope he can do something.
By Jon Healy
Third quarter: Oof. Will Smith has absolutely worn a shot in defence. Some furious running happening out there.
The Indigenous All Stars get a penalty for Kevin Proctor hanging around in the tackle, and they'll finally attack from a useful side of halfway.
And Nicho Hynes almost takes advantage, putting in a crafty chip for Brent Naden that lands perfectly in no man's land, but the Māori All Stars bat it dead.
Reuben Cotter tried the dummy-half sneak, but he couldn't handle the ball in the gang tackle.
