Legal win: St George Illawarra Dragons NRL player cleared of charges after alleged pub incident

A St George Illawarra Dragons player has been cleared of charges police laid following an alleged incident at a pub in regional Queensland.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 07: Lyhkan King-Togia of the Dragons celebrates his try during the round 27 NRL match between St George Illawarra Dragons and Canberra Raiders at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, on September 07, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

A talented up-and-coming National Rugby League player who debuted for the St George Illawarra Dragons has been cleared of minor charges.

In mid-2024 police charged the young football player, Lyhkan King-Togia, with two offences under the state’s liquor act - failing to leave a licensed venue and having to be removed from a licensed premises.

Lyhkan King-Togia made his debut for the Dragons in August 2024. Credit: NRL Images/FILE

The 19-year-old’s charges were dropped by police prosecution at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Tuesday, September 24, when the matter was mentioned for a second time.

The two charges related to an alleged incident at a Toowoomba pub on October 14, 2023, and were first mentioned before the court in July 2024.

On Tuesday, the court heard a warrant was on file for King-Togia’s arrest because he did not sign a bail undertaking.

The court heard that King-Togia did not sign his bail because he needed to be on the field and couldn’t return to Toowoomba.

King-Togia was not at court when the warrant was cancelled and the charges were dismissed.

Lyhkan King-Togia of the Dragons celebrates his try during at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, on September 7, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images/FILE

At 17, King-Togia made his A-grade debut for the Dalby Diehards where he caught the eye of the Dragons recruitment director Ian Millward during a school game.

The regional Queenslander scored his first try during round 27 of the NRL match between the Dragons and Raiders at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on September 7, 2024.

Last month, King-Togia’s long-time mentor Jim Sankey told Newscorp the young player had the talent, work ethic, and mentality to become an elite player, likening him to a young Carl Webb.