Brisbane’s emerging NRL star David Fifita has walked free after a three-day stint in a Bali police station but will now return home to face a please explain from the code’s integrity unit.
The holidaying 19-year-old allegedly hit a Bali nightclub security guard while riding on the back of a scooter early on Saturday morning and spent the next two nights in the same clothes after being arrested.
Fifita faced more than two years behind bars if found guilty of assault but, after an apology and so-called “peace agreement” was reached between the parties on Sunday, the complaint was withdrawn.
Set to enter the final year of his contract with Brisbane, Fifita is widely considered the hottest free agent available for the 2021 season and reportedly the target of $1 million per season offers.
But he could start the year on the sidelines – and lighter in the pocket – given Melbourne’s Nelson Asofa-Solomona copped a three-game ban and suspended $15,000 fine for his involvement in a wild brawl in the same nightspot last month.
The teenager, whose lawyer said had limited memory of the incident, spent most of Monday finalising his release with Brisbane’s welfare officer Adam Walsh, who had flown in to help resolve the issue.
The pair were escorted out of the station and through the waiting media scrum too late to catch the Monday afternoon flight out of Bali and were instead expected to arrive in Brisbane early on Tuesday.
The Broncos have already begun working with the NRL’s integrity unit, who will interview Fifita once back in Australia and determine if further action should be taken.
The security guard, who claimed he initially didn’t know Fifita was an NRL player, said he wasn’t seeking compensation.
He accepted Fifita’s apology on Sunday, before signing a peace deal and posing for a happy snap ahead of Monday’s release.
It comes a fortnight after Fifita had captained a Junior Kangaroos team to a win over France in Wollongong.
He was also among the Broncos players criticised for playing poker machines the night before they were beaten by Parramatta in an embarrassing NRL finals exit.
The latest off-season incident comes despite a reminder from NRL boss Todd Greenberg “to make very smart choices, particularly late at night” and walk away if they sense any trouble brewing.