In just his second game back from a monster ban for a similar charge, Tuinauvai was offered an eight match suspension after being charged with grade three striking.

He has entered a guilty plea to striking, but will dispute the grading at a judiciary hearing in Wagga on Wednesday night.

The incident arose after a penalty was given for a lifting tackle on Tumut's Tom Hickson. Tuinauvai and the Brothers player involved, Warren Lloyd, were both sent off by referee Shane Bartlett, and Lloyd faces a two-week ban for grade two striking.

Lloyd entered a not guilty plea and will also front the Group Nine tribunal.

In his referees report, Bartlett wrote "I saw number 19 from Tumut (Tuinauvai) punch an opposing player to the head while he was on the ground."

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Regarding the Lloyd charge, Bartlett wrote "When the players came together pushing and shoving, number eight (Lloyd) came running in, throwing punches at opposition player to the head."

Tuinauvai was also banned for 21 weeks, later reduced to ten on appeal, for striking Temora's Paul Ferguson when playing for Kangaroos in a round 14 clash in 2019.

Ferguson later took the issue to court, where Tuinauvai pled guilty to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm and was fined $800 and sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order.

The 32-year-old didn't play at all in Group Nine last year, and was looking to make up for lost time as the first-placed Blues look to win a premiership in their 100th season.

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