Former NRL player Zac Hetherington charged with assault of Queensland Cup rival bar fight

The son of a Maroons legend and twin brother of a current Broncos star has been charged by police following an alleged off-field attack on a rival Queensland Cup player.

Zac Hetherington, the twin brother of Broncos star Kobe, has been charged following an alleged off-field attack on a rival player that has rocked the Queensland Rugby League.

Sport Confidential can reveal Hetherington appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court last Tuesday week after being charged by police with allegedly assaulting a Queensland Cup rival in a wild Brisbane bar incident.

Hetherington is also the son of Queensland Origin legend Jason Hetherington and was previously contracted to the Canterbury Bulldogs club his father represented with distinction.

The 26-year-old Hetherington, now playing for the Ipswich Jets in the Hostplus Cup, was charged in March following a drunken incident in Brisbane’s CBD where he allegedly struck Norths Devils player Brandon Finnegan.

Despite being charged, Hetherington has been allowed to continue playing and teamed up alongside dumped Titans star David Fifita in the Jets’ 32-0 loss to the Pride a fortnight ago.

Zac Hetherington is the twin brother of Broncos star Kobe.

Queensland Rugby League boss Ben Ikin confirmed he is aware of the matter involving Hetherington, who faces another court appearance on July 2.

“We are aware of the incident, there has been a charge against Zac,” Ikin said.

“Zac is like everybody else - he will have his day in court and once that happens, we will sit down and have another discussion as a governing body.”

It is understood Hetherington and the Devils player were drinking as part of a bigger common group at a Brisbane pub on the eve of this year’s Hostplus Cup competition.

Hetherington then allegedly punched the Devils player following a dispute over the treatment of a nearby female.

Queensland police subsequently charged Hetherington, who boasts one of rugby league’s most famous surnames.

Hetherington’s twin Kobe will turn out for the Broncos in Sunday’s clash against the Dragons, while his father Jason played 133 first-grade games and 10 Origin matches for Queensland.

It is believed Zac Hetherington briefly stood down from playing to deal with the personal toll from the incident, but he resumed playing three weeks ago in Ipswich’s round 7 clash against Wynnum Manly.

Sections of the Queensland rugby league fraternity are said to be outraged that Hetherington has been allowed to continue playing in the state’s premier rugby league competition.

The NRL’s no-fault stand down policy requires players charged with serious criminal offences to be automatically suspended from playing, regardless of whether they are found guilty or not.

QLD FOG Jason Hetherington with his wife Kym and sons Kobe (QLD under-20s player), Zac (dark jacket) and Eli (beanie).

But Ikin defended the QRL’s decision not to stand down Hetherington from Jets duty.

“It sits below the NRL’s no-fault stand-down policy,” he said.

“Once it gets reported, we have our conversations internally and with the NRL to make sure we are aligned.

“Clearly, it’s not ideal, but the standards are the standards and we applied them as we know them.

“Once Zac has his day in court, we will move into the next phase.”

Originally published as Former NRL player Zac Hetherington charged with assault of Queensland Cup rival bar fight