Court case: Topine urges past colleagues to support his $4 million demand.

It’s anticipated that a few of Jackson Topine’s previous colleagues will back him in his $4 million lawsuit against Canterbury.

Topine says that on July 18, 2023, during a training session, he was made to wrestle up to 35 colleagues, which amounted to “assault.”

It is claimed in documents submitted to the NSW Supreme Court that the former Australian Schoolboy’s contract was unlawfully terminated. Since then, he has not played football; court filings assert that Topine was unable to do so.

Topine has a 10- to 12-year NRL career ahead of him, according to those close to him. Given that the average wage in the NRL is more than $400,000 and that he is a junior representative, they estimate that he may have made more money than that amount.

The Bulldogs declared on Wednesday that they will refute the assertion.

Following a board meeting on Wednesday, chairman Adam Driussi stated, “The board unanimously agreed that it would vigorously defend the club and its employee [trainer] Travis Touma against the claim lodged today by a former player.” “At this time, the club will not be providing any additional comments.”

Should the matter proceed to a hearing, some of the Bulldogs’ most well-known figures may be called as witnesses in this historic case.

Given that the case is still in court, sources who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed that certain players who saw the incident were ready to help Topine.

Witness statements could be used for that, and if the case goes to a full hearing, both sides will probably want some of the people who attended the wrestling session to testify.

Topine claims that Canterbury trainer Touma made him wrestle a series of teammates in quick succession, leaving the young player “[requiring] assistance in performing limited physical functions, including, standing and walking,” according to a statement of claim that this masthead has obtained. In rugby league circles, the practice is widely known as “shark bait.”

Topine was allegedly subjected to “unlawful corporal punishment” and “deprivation of liberty,” which resulted in “psychiatric injury” as well as “physical and mental impairment.”

According to court records, “Jump on him right away if he’s down,” Touma instructed Topine’s colleagues.

Topine maintains he was on time since he didn’t need to be strapped and arrived for the start of the real conditioning. The punishment was purportedly meted out because he was eight to ten minutes late for the wrestling practice.

Although Roosters coach Trent Robinson refrained from commenting on the legal case against the Bulldogs, he did discuss the type of trainer Touma was while he was a member of the Tricolours.

“Travis is an exceptionally skilled trainer and a truly remarkable individual, and his level of concern for others is unparalleled in any staff member I have worked with,” Robinson remarked.

“I am unable to comment on the incident, but I am aware of Travis’ character, his care for his players, and his quality of personhood.”

Speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to address the issue in public, club sources claim that Touma was asked to address the event in front of the Bulldogs board last year.

After receiving his explanation, all of the directors left, satisfied, and nothing more was done.

A brief statement was released by the NRL on Wednesday evening.

An NRL spokeswoman stated, “The NRL reached out to the player offering both wellbeing support and an opportunity to speak with the integrity unit.” The chance has been turned down thus far, but it is still open. The NRL will watch to see how any pertinent legal actions turn out.

Prominent sports attorney Tim Fuller stated, “The nature of the directives or instructions from the trainer are going to have to be fully explored.”

For the case to be successful, there must be evidence of bullying, harassment, or coercion at work in relation to such orders. The lawsuit is probably going to be dismissed if it becomes out that they were merely standard instructions given during a rigorous training session.

“As a disclaimer, one important matter that warrants further investigation is the fact that Jackson Topine temporarily resumed training.”

Since it first came to light last year, the Bulldogs have kept the NRL informed about the Topine situation. Because of worries about the 22-year-old’s mental health, no media source has named the player.

Nevertheless, following the filing of court documents on Wednesday, he was recognized by the public as the player at the center of the purported training incident.

“These guys are not yesterday’s athletes,” remarked a player management who freely discussed the issue on condition of anonymity.

“To think he had to wrestle 30 of them—they are among the strongest people in the world, pound for pound.”

Though it emphasized that it was not a party to the civil proceedings, the Rugby League Players’ Association has supported Topine.

A union representative stated, “We would expect the NRL to investigate any alleged breaches of the CBA and NRL rules in accordance with those rules.”

To the best of our knowledge, Jackson’s problem has not been the subject of a formal NRL investigation.

“Our top priority is always making sure that clubs are safe, encouraging locations for players to work, and that their wellbeing is our top priority. These player rights and compensation are specific to the industry and are enforced by the CBA as a collective agreement.

“However, NRL and NRLW players have individual rights outside of the CBA under Australian law as employees, and they have legal options to pursue if they feel that their rights have been violated.”

Canterbury hasn’t submitted a defense yet.