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SYDNEY - Less than two weeks out from the season kick-off, the National Rugby League (NRL) has been rocked by another off-field incident with Gold Coast front rower Anthony Laffranchi charged with sexual assault.
On the same day the NRL was celebrating the announcement of a A$90 million
($103 million) naming rights deal with Telstra, the former Wests Tigers forward attended Burwood police station to be interviewed over an alleged sexual assault in Sydney's inner west last September.
He was later charged with one count of sexual assault on a 26-year-old woman.
Laffranchi was granted conditional bail today and will face Burwood Local Court on March 27, but will still be allowed to participate in the Titans' first ever premiership match against St George Illawarra at Suncorp Stadium on March 18.
The alleged incident came at the end of a night of 'Mad Monday' celebrations following the Tigers' final premiership game of the 2006 season.
The woman was allegedly attacked after accompanying a group of Tigers players back to unit of Laffranchi's teammate Ryan O'Hara.
"It's obviously a very serious charge and we need to leave it to the police and the courts at this stage," NRL chief executive David Gallop said.
"Where the facts are undisputed it's possible for us to take action now, but on this occasion the player is protesting his innocence and therefore we must leave it to the police and courts to make a decision."
The Titans were standing firm behind their man today, claiming it would not be fair for the club to ban him playing.
"If this process was to take six months and he was found innocent, then it would be highly unfair to put him out of the game for that time," Titans managing director Michael Searle said.
"Once a decision is brought down we will consider appropriate action if he was to be found guilty."
The incident is the latest in a string of off-field indiscretions involving NRL players over the last few seasons.
The last player to be sacked by an NRL club for off-field misdemeanors was Cronulla hooker Tevita Latu.
The former New Zealand Test player shown the door at the Sharks after punching a woman in the face in May 2006.
In light of events in recent years, the NRL has undertaken a host initiatives and courses with players aimed at improving attitudes towards women.
In 2005 Katie Page was appointed to the NRL executive board, the NRL the first mainstream professional sport in Australia to appoint a female director.
- AAP