North Queensland Cowboys back-rower Luciano Leilua has been arrested over allegations of domestic violence in a southwest Sydney home on Monday afternoon.
The former Tiger is alleged to have assaulted a 26 year-old woman, who is known to Leilua, in the Harrington Park home, and then proceeded to allegedly smash her phone.
Leilua was escorted to Camden police station, where he was charged with two counts of domestic violence (common assault and damaging or destroying property).
The 26 year-old forward has been granted bail, and is set to face Campbelltown District Court on October 11, which could deny Leilua an opportunity to represent Samoa at the World Cup.
The second-rower has been named by Matt Parish in the Pacific nation's 24-man squad, however with his court date set just four days before Samoa's opening match in England, there's a high chance that Leilua will be forced to sit out the tournament.
Leilua only joined North Queensland midway through 2022 after securing an early release from the Wests Tigers, earning a starting spot in the Cowboys line-up as they progressed to a preliminary final.
A NSW Police spokesperson confirmed officers arrived at the home on Monday afternoon after receiving a phone call.
โPolice were called to a home on Alexandra Crescent at Harrington Park about 1pm today (Monday 3 October 2022) after receiving reports about an alleged domestic violence incident,โ she said.
โOfficers from Narellan Police Area Command attended and were told a 26-year-old woman had allegedly been assaulted by a man known to her.
โIt's further alleged the man smashed her phone after assaulting her.
โA 26-year-old man was arrested at the home and taken to Camden Police Station where he was charged with common assault (DV); damage or destroy property (DV).
โHe's been given bail to appear at Campbelltown Local Court on 11 October 2022.โ
The North Queensland Cowboys released a statement regarding the incident late on Monday night.
โThe North Queensland Cowboys have been made aware of an alleged incident regarding player Luciano Leilua, which has resulted in police charges.
The club is gathering further information and assisting the NRL Integrity Unit as well as providing support to all parties involved.
Further comment will be made in due course.'
Leilua's World Cup fate will be decided early next week while his international team mates continue to prepare for their clash against England on October 15th.
