A St George Illawarra Dragons player charged over his role in an alleged rooftop hammer attack sparked by a parking dispute in the Illawarra will spend Christmas with his family after being granted bail on Friday.
Talatau Amone, 20, his father Talatau Dal Amone, 46, and a third man who remains at large are alleged to have confronted a 39-year-old roofing contractor in an incident on November 15 after a dispute over where he had parked his ute near the Amone’s Warrawong home.
Talatau Amone, left, and his father Talatau Dal Amone have both been charged.
Allegedly armed with hammers, the trio “damaged the younger man’s car, while he climbed onto the roof of the property and called police,” NSW Police said in a statement on Thursday. “The three men followed him onto the roof before the 39-year-old man was allegedly pushed, causing him to fall two metres.”
The Dragons five-eighth was arrested on Thursday afternoon at his family’s home and charged with causing reckless grievous bodily harm in company, damaging property and stalking.
The reckless grievous bodily harm in company charge carries a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment, meaning it meets the threshold for the NRL’s “no-fault stand down” for players charged with serious criminal offences that carry more than 11 years’ jail time.
St George Illawarra has reported the matter to the NRL’s integrity unit, it said in a statement on Thursday.
Junior Amone will report three times a week to the police station as part of his bail conditions.Credit: Getty
“Dragons player Talatau Amone has been charged in relation to an alleged incident earlier this year. The club has notified the NRL integrity unit. As this is a legal matter, the club will be making no further comment.”
Amone spent the night in the cells but was on Friday granted bail.
The Dragons player will lodge a $100,000 surety, report three times per week to the Lake Illawarra Police Station, surrender his passport and only leave home in the company of his mother, sister or agent Mario Tartak as part of his bail conditions.
He is also only allowed to leave home for “work commitments relating to his contract with St George Illawarra NRL Club (this includes but is not limited to training sessions as well as scheduled matches)” according to court documents seen by the Herald, legal and medical appointments.
The 20-year-old has long been regarded as one of St George Illawarra’s most promising local juniors and established himself as the club’s first-choice five-eighth in 2022.
He will return to court in January.
His father, who has been charged with malicious damage, entering a building intending to commit an offence, affray causing actual bodily harm and two counts of stalking, remains remanded behind bars.
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