Civoniceva accepts one-week ban
02/21/2012 05:42:00 AM
Petero Civoniceva's emotional return to Brisbane has been put on hold for a week after the veteran prop accepted a one-match suspension from the NRL judiciary.
Civoniceva was to play his first game for the Broncos in five years in the season opener against Parramatta, but will now have to wait until the Round 2 encounter with North Queensland after pleading guilty to a careless high tackle charge.
The former Penrith skipper ironed out Melbourne's Ryan Hinchcliffe in Saturday's trial in Hobart and decided against contesting the grade three charge.
Brisbane was contemplating challenging the grading at the judiciary but decided not to risk turning a one-match ban into two.
Feisty South Sydney hooker Issac Luke will also sit out the opening round after taking the early guilty plea to a contrary conduct charge.
Luke pushed referee Jason Robinson in the back during the Rabbitohs' Charity Shield loss to the Dragons on Saturday night in an incident picked up by the NRL's match review committee.
Team-mate Eddy Pettybourne pleaded guilty to a grade one careless high tackle on Chase Stanley but escaped suspension.