The St George Illawarra Dragons are preparing for a forced change in the halves during the 2023 NRL season as Talatau Amone awaits his court appearance for an alleged assault.
Amone was arrested in late December for an alleged attack with a hammer. Charged with reckless grievous bodily harm, property damage and intimidation, Amone didn't apply for bail originally, but was ultimately released with strict conditions.
Amone will face court on January 18, and at this stage it's unclear if the NRL will apply the no-fault stand-down policy against the 20-year-old, as they have for multiple other players previously, including the ongoing case of Luciano Leilua.
Zero Tackle have reached out to the NRL for comment on Amone, but are yet to receive a response.
Regardless, with the alleged incident lingering, News Corp are reporting that the Dragons are preparing for a season without Amone, which could see another star of the future in Jayden Sullivan claim the number six jersey to partner Ben Hunt in the halves.
It's understood both Moses Mbye and Jack Bird are also in the rubbing to play at number six, but that Sullivan, who at one point requested a release last year, has the inside running.
โIf called upon I'm sure he would do a really good job for us,โ Moses Mbye said at training.
โI think Sully (Sullivan) is ready to play first grade. He got a taste of it last year and the year before and he did a really good job for us.โ
Sullivan has played games both in the halves and at hooker over the last 18 months, impressing more often than he hasn't.
Formerly, Sullivan had led the Illawarra Steelers to the SG Ball trophy back in 2019 alongside Amone, before playing a number of NSW Cup matches over the last three seasons.
Amone is training with the Dragons while he awaits his court appearance over the alleged incident and a decision from the NRL.
