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.
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