Former NRL star Josh Dugan pleads not guilty to alleged Covid-19 breaches

Former NRL star Josh Dugan has pleaded not guilty to allegations he breached Covid restrictions by trying to leave Sydney twice in one night.

Former NRL star Josh Dugan has pleaded not guilty in court to alleged Covid-19 breaches in August when he is accused of attempting to leave Sydney twice without a valid reason in the space of an hour.

Mr Dugan, 31, recently announced his retirement from rugby league after his contract with the Cronulla Sharks was terminated by mutual consent following the charges of not complying with police directions under the Public Health Act.

The former footballer had previously said he would defend the charges and claimed to have had all the necessary paperwork to prove he did not breach the NRL’s player bubble or government directions.

Police allege Josh Dugan was stopped by police leaving Sydney twice in the same night. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Mr Dugan’s lawyer Paul McGirr on Thursday entered pleas of not guilty on the player’s behalf during a mention before Lithgow Local Court.

Police will allege in court the ex-NSW and Australia back was stopped in Lithgow with a male passenger in his car at about 11.30pm on August 20.

Mr Dugan, from Gymea in Sydney’s south, and his passenger from Alexandria were allegedly directed to return home.

Mr Dugan played 12 matches for NSW and Australia respectively. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Peled

“The driver allegedly told police they were moving to the area and were going to feed animals however (police will allege he) later admitted they were heading to a friend’s house for the weekend,” police said in a statement at the time.

About 40 minutes later police allegedly stopped the same vehicle, which was allegedly headed from Sydney towards the village of Yetholme, and found the two men inside again.

They were directed home once more before police visited Mr Dugan and charged him with two counts of not complying with Covid public health orders. The other man was charged with the same offences.

The 31-year-old’s contract with Cronulla was terminated by mutual consent in September. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

The charges came amid Sydney’s lockdown and the pair face hefty fines if the offences are proven in court.

Following the incident, the Sharks released a statement in September announcing they had parted ways with the centre.

Mr Dugan then announced his retirement from the NRL in a post on his Instagram page.

He had played for the club since 2018 after joining from local rivals St George Illawarra, having started his professional career at the Canberra Raiders in 2007.

His matter will return to court on December 16.

Originally published as Former NRL star Josh Dugan pleads not guilty to alleged Covid-19 breaches