The NRL career of Manly recruit Zane Tetevano is almost certainly over after he admitted in court to bashing his former girlfriend on four occasions.
Tetevano has pleaded guilty to eight charges in Newcastle Local Court on Friday, including two counts of common assault and two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
On each occasion Tetevano was affected by alcohol and attacked his then girlfriend by variously pushing her to the ground, kicking her, and on one occasion picking her up by her shirt and holding her against a wall, and throwing her around the bedroom at the Merewether unit they once shared.
The NRL had yet to sign off on his 2015 playing contract and it's expected the Sea Eagles will likely tear it up. Given the seriousness of the offences, it's expected the governing body is unlikely to ever consider registering him, effectively imposing a life ban. "Zane Tetevano is not a registered NRL player. For him to be registered we would need to be satisfied that he is a fit and proper person. Based on today's developments in court, he will not meet that standard if he were to apply for registration. Our position as a game around domestic violence is clear. We do not condone violence against women."
The timing of the latest dramas couldn't be worse given White Ribbon Day was celebrated on Tuesday. It's also the third domestic violence incident to make headlines in recent weeks following the standing down of South Sydney players Cody Walker and Kirisome Auva'a indefinitely.
Tetevano made 29 appearances for the Knights since making his first-grade debut in 2011 but was sacked in May after he was convicted in Belmont Local Court and fined $440 for smashing a taxi windscreen.
The 24-year-old transferred to the Sea Eagles on a one-year deal in the pre-season, but the club stood him down after the latest court appearance.
"The player was signed by the club in good faith. However, the details of previous incidents have now been fully disclosed in a court of law," according to a club statement. "Tetevano has been training at the club since the start of November, but does not have a registered contract with the NRL. His position at the club will now be reviewed internally before making any further comment."
Tetevano's absence will leave a void in a forward pack already decimated by the loss of Jason King (retired), Anthony Watmough (Parramatta), Glenn Stewart (South Sydney) and Daniel Harrison (London Broncos).
Tetevano on Friday agreed to an apprehended violence order, which was put in place for two years, and was granted a long adjournment before being sentenced in March to allow him to seek psychological assistance.
Magistrate Robert Stone was told that Tetevano has been seeing a psychologist, but is scheduled for treatment by a second sports psychologist at the request of Manly Sea Eagles-appointed counsel who will appear for him in March.
The incidents are an early test for the NRL's new chief operating officer, Suzanne Young, who took over from Jim Doyle just last week.
