Josiah Karapani is waiting for the outcome of the fame game multi which earned him a nomination for The Frownlow Medal. The NRL player is the latest elite footballer to be charged with multiple driving offences and conflict with police.
The Frownlow Medal is awarded to the player whose off-field demeanour epitomises the values of the modern-day footballer and draws attention to the status of footballers as role models to young Australians. It covers Australia’s four major football codes: the men’s and women’s National Rugby League (NRL), Australian Football League (AFL), the A-League (Football) and Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition. NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015, while AFL player Noah Balta is the most recent recipient.
The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame honours former players and players who received media attention in previous seasons, for similarly scandalous behaviour, and its inductees include Ben Cousins and Julian O’Neill.
Karapani is a fast winger for the Brisbane Broncos and his speed on the roads earned him his first Frownlow nomination. He was recently caught travelling at 119km per hour in a 100km/h zone in Brisbane’s south and then stopped by Queensland Police.
Not content with just one chance to win The Frownlow Medal, Karapani opted for a multi and also had himself charged with ‘Failure to display P plates’, ‘Driving an unregistered vehicle’ and ‘Driving an uninsured vehicle’.
Then, to further increase the prospect of winning the most prestigious prize in Australian sport, he returned a reading of 0.037 after being subject to a breath analysis. As a provisional licence holder, Karapani is subject to a zero-blood alcohol concentration and was subsequently issued with a notice to appear in court in relation to the drink driving offence.
The incident saw Karapani dropped for one game, and follows an earlier incident in March 2026. He was charged with public nuisance and banned for one month from Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley precinct. He was also dropped for one game following that incident.
Every punter knows that a multi bet increases their chances of winning, and Karapani is hoping this strategy leads him to The Frownlow Medal later this year.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 