- Braith Anasta surprised by Jackson Topine’s assault complaint
- Topine was in the line of fire after arriving late to training
- Anasta called on NRL and RLPA to support the Bulldogs
Football great Braith Anasta has criticized Bulldogs star Jackson Topine for launching legal proceedings against the NRL club over an alleged punishment he claims is used by all teams in the competition.
Topine, 22, alleges he was unfairly attacked after arriving late to a training session last July at Belmore, where he was forced to endure a wrestling session involving up to 35 teammates where he was “assaulted”.
The Auckland-born star also believes he was subjected to “illegal corporal punishment”, humiliation, anxiety, fear and “deprivation of liberty”.
His lawsuit alleges that the disciplinary action allegedly carried out at the direction of head coach Travis Touma amounted to “assault and battery” and left him with “psychiatric injuries” and “physical and mental disabilities.”
Topine is said to be seeking $4 million in compensation and the case will be heard in the New South Wales Supreme Court.
Football great Braith Anasta has criticized Bulldogs star Jackson Topine for launching legal proceedings against the NRL club.
Topine (pictured with girlfriend Holly Leppard) believes he was subjected to “illegal corporal punishment”, humiliation, anxiety, fear and “deprivation of liberty” during a wrestling session last July.
The alleged incident left Topine so physically devastated that he could not stand or walk without assistance.
Speaking on NRL 360 on Wednesday night, Anasta was incredulous at Topine’s stance.
‘It’s crazy. “I can’t understand it, this guy has come to training late, so when you train late you get harsh discipline,” he said.
“They teach you not to let your teammates down because if you move late in the game you’re costing your team.” This happens every day with every club and every player.
“They punish you for that, all the players know that if you are late for training they will punish you.” On this day the Bulldogs are wrestling, so the punishment was wrestling.
“If they were doing fitness, that would have been it, those are the standards that are set.”
Anasta also urged NRL “to get involved in this and they need to support the Bulldogs.”
“Because if all the players who went through the same thing as Jackson Topine [then] would sue their respective club, we would have court cases and litigation in all the clubs,” he added.
The 22-year-old (pictured playing for the Bulldogs) was allegedly forced to grab his teammates one after another for 30 seconds at a time, and other players were allegedly told not to give in when he showed signs of distress .
Topine (pictured against the Broncos) has not played rugby league since the alleged incident.
The former representative star (pictured with Holly Leppard) is seeking $4 million.
“This is worrying because it should not be allowed and the NRL needs to support the Bulldogs.”
Anasta, who is also a prominent player agent, confirmed that he has personally contacted the Rugby League Players’ Association about the matter, in the hope that the organization will side with the Bulldogs.
“The RLPA has to be very careful with this because they could be supporting a player who could potentially ruin the game,” he said.
“Honestly, if they continue to support players in these actions that are basic and happen every session, then all of a sudden the game could be really in trouble.”
Topine, who captained the New South Wales and Australian school teams and was considered one of the brightest young talents at Belmore, has not played rugby league since the alleged punishment.
He starred in 16 NRL games for the Bulldogs from 2021 to 2023, scoring one try and also represented the Maori All Stars in 2021.