Former Canterbury Bulldogs forward Jackson Topine will have his court hearing against the club heard in March next year.
News Corp is reporting ten days have been set aside for the hearing, which will commence on March 23 - approximately three weeks into the season.
A number of players are likely to be asked to give evidence in the case, with Topine understood to be seeking up to $4 million in damages for lost earnings as a result of the alleged incident, which occurred in early 2024.
The alleged incident - in the ex-player's version of events - saw Topine forced to wrestle the entire squad after arriving late to training.
It's understood that Topine claims the session saw him suffer physical and mental harm, and he cut ties with the Bulldogs shortly afterwards.
He has not been contracted since.
Now 23 years of age, Topine had 16 games for the Bulldogs under his belt between 2021 and 2023, as well as a game for the Maori All Stars in 2021, and was on his way to commencing a promising NRL career, but that all ground to a halt over the incident.
The timing of the hearing is horrid for the Bulldogs, who will be just launching into their 2026 campaign, but will now have the court case as a distraction hanging over their heads, with players potentially involved in giving evidence.
The court is understood to have knocked back the order of mediation between the parties, given that the Bulldogs are claiming no wrongdoing, and believe Topine's claims to be baseless.
