Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo was left disappointed after a 20-18 loss to the Sydney Roosters.
Tupouniua returned after being on the sidelines for eight weeks with a hamstring strain, and just after 5 minutes into a game the Bulldogs were hoping to win, the former Rooster sustained the same hamstring strain injury that kept him unavailable in the Bulldogs quest for playing finals football in September.
Cameron Ciraldo said post-match he wasn't sure whether the injury was in the same spot as what happened when the injury occurred back in Round 16 against the Manly Sea Eagles, but added how Tupounia felt after needing to leave the match.
"He's pretty devastated because he was training really well," added Ciraldo.
"He was just excited to get back playing. This is what he does, this is what he loves doing, so he's pretty shattered."
For the Bulldogs, Tupouniua is not just a talented player on their roster, he is a leader, a huge influence on the team and someone the younger players rising through the Bulldogs ranks can look up to.
For Ciraldo, the injury didn't determine the game. With a win against the Roosters, the Bulldogs could have been in the top eight.
Instead, the Bulldogs season is on the line when they play in a do-or-die match in Round 24 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, who play the Parramatta Eels on Saturday night.
The Bulldogs still believe in their chances and see positives out of the match against the tri-colours despite having a 18-12 lead in the second half before the Roosters made their comeback.
"I thought the effort was there," Ciraldo said in the press conference.
"Don't get me wrong, we're not leaving you with any less confidence than what we came here with.
"We didn't play the way we wanted to tonight. The Roosters deserved the win.
"They were really good for periods, but I think they'll probably think they can play better as well.
"We know what we can do when we play our style of footy but too many errors tonight didn't allow us to do that."
Stephen Crichton knows what his side have to do next week, and was straightforward when asked directly about their game against the Rabbitohs.
"Probably just execution. We started the second half really well, (but) there was a lack of clarity between me and Lachie (Galvin) and confusion causes errors," the Bulldogs captain said.
"It's an easy fix."
