Young footy star Jackson Topine accuses Bulldogs of ‘unlawful punishment’

A young rugby league star has accused his former club of “unlawful corporal punishment” in a bombshell lawsuit.

A young rugby league star has accused his former club, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, of “unlawful corporal punishment” in a bombshell $4m lawsuit.

Twenty-two-year-old Jackson Topine, who was born in New Zealand but captained both New South Wales and Australia at schoolboy level, is a second rower who has played 16 games for the NRL club.

He last represented the Bulldogs in 2023, having also played for the Maori All Stars in 2021.

The Australian reports that lawyers representing Topine, in a statement of claim in the New South Wales Supreme Court, allege the youngster was forced to wrestle “30 to 35” players as punishment for being late to training.

They further claim that his contract was terminated illegally, and that he suffered “psychiatric injury” along with “physical and mental impairment” as a result of the harsh treatment.

Jackson Topine, third from the right, representing the Bulldogs against the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2023. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Last year The Daily Telegraph reported that a Bulldogs player had taken mental health leave after being compelled to wrestle every member of the team’s first-grade squad. It didn’t name Topine at the time.

“He became distraught and left training,” the newspaper said.

“The player is under contract at the club until the end of next season but has vowed not to return.”

The incident is alleged to have occurred on July 18, 2023. Topine has not played since.

“It wasn’t wrestling. It was humiliation,” one of his teammates, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Australian.

Jackson Topine.

Quoting from court documents, the newspaper reports that the Bulldogs’ head trainer, Travis Touma, is alleged to have overseen an “assault” on Topine.

“Each player in the Bulldogs roster, who were the plaintiff's opponents in wrestling match-ups, possessed high levels of fitness and strength,” the documents say.

“(Touma) directed (Topine’s) opponents in the wrestling match-ups not to reduce intensity by saying words to the following effect: ‘Don’t let him up if he’s down. Jump on him straight away.’”

Topine’s lawyers allege Touma ignored their client’s exhaustion and distress, despite a “continued and marked deterioration in his capacity to compete”.

“As a result of completing the performance of all wrestling match-ups required under the wrestling direction, (Topine) required assistance in performing limited physical functions, including, standing and walking,” the documents claim.

Touma is alleged to have told Topine’s teammates “words to the effect” of: “No, don’t congratulate or help him. He deserved that. He was f***ing late.”

Topine’s legal team says he was a mere “eight to ten minutes late” for the wrestling session, having misread the day’s training schedule. The player actually thought he was arriving 20 minutes early.

Jackson Topine.

In a statement to The Australian, the Bulldogs declined to answer several questions, but noted that they “categorically deny” a “number of allegations”.

“Some of the questioning ... relates specifically to employees or their contracts, and as with all employee matters, these are strictly confidential in nature,” the club said.

“We also take player welfare very seriously and place the best interests and welfare of our players and staff as our number one priority.

“As we do take mental health concerns very seriously and, given the appropriate sensitivities that should be applied in matters concerning mental health, the club will not be making any comment at this time on any of the individuals at the centre of the allegations.”

Bulldogs General Manager Phil Gould has previously defended the club’s effort to transform its culture following years of poor results on the field.

“We want to instil those values and instil that training and work ethic, and it gets hard for some and it gets too hard for others,” he said on the podcast Six Tackles with Gus last year.

“The ones that come out the other side are the ones you want to build your club around, and it’s as simple as that.”