In yet more bad news for the St George Illawarra Dragons, Talatau 'Junior' Amone will reportedly have his registration cancelled by the NRL.
Amone was recently sentenced to a two-year Intensive Corrections Order. He had been previously found guilty in court.
The incident saw Amone originally stood down under the NRL's no-fault stand-down policy, before returning for the Dragons during the second half of the 2023 NRL season, where he featured prominently.
He was set to be back in the Red V's halves alongside Ben Hunt for the 2024 campaign pending an NRL-enforced suspension after his court appearance kept him out of prison.
But now he may not get the chance to feature at all in 2024, with Channel 9s Danny Weidler revealing the NRL will cancel the youngster's player registration, barring him from holding a contract at all in 2024.
It's unclear whether Amone would be afforded the right to re-apply for registration in future years.
The NRL have released a statement on Amone's situation although didn't clarify what the penalty is.
"The National Rugby League (NRL) has today issued a Notice to St George Illawarra Dragons player Talatau Junior Amone under the NRL Playing Contract and Remuneration Rules," the NRL wrote.
"On 11 December, 2023 the player was sentenced in Wollongong Local Court to two years imprisonment by way of an intensive corrections order and 300 hours of community service.
"This sentence followed Amone's conviction on charges of Intimidation and Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm in Company relating to an incident at Warrawong on 15 November 2022.
"Additionally, the player was fined $1,000 by the Court for a charge of Destroy or Damage Property and ordered to pay compensation to the victim.
"The NRL's wellbeing and counselling services have been made available to the player."
The young half, who has played 54 NRL games since his 2021 debut, will now need to be replaced at the Dragons if the report is correct.
The Red V signed Kyle Flanagan during the off-season and he could slot straight into the halves alongside Ben Hunt under his father's coaching, while the Dragons could also be forced to look at the likes of Paul Turner or Jack Bird slotting into the halves if Amone is unable to play.
There is little remaining on the open market for 2024, and the Dragons, who were chasing Thomas Dearden for 2025, will also now be on the look out for replenishments of players after missing both the signatures of Dearden (who re-signed) and prop Addin Fonua-Blake (who will join the Cronulla Sharks) on Tuesday.