Suspended playmaker Junior Amone vows he is going to come back “ten times stronger and better” after being deregistered by the NRL for his role in a hammer attack.
Amone had his contract ripped up by the Dragons after he was found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm for chasing a tradesman off a roof while wielding a hammer. There is no set date for when Amone will be allowed back in the NRL.
The 21-year-old said the NRL’s decision “rocked him”.
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“It was tough at the start, getting the news that I won’t be able to play this year,” Amone told the SMH.
“When I first got the news it rocked me a bit, I just didn’t know what to do.
“Footy is all I’ve done my whole life. So getting that news, knowing that I’m not allowed to play the sport I love and the thing that I love to do, it rocked me a bit and it took me a while to get over it.
According to the SMH, Amone’s lawyer Elias Tabchouri says that an appeal has been lodged on behalf of Amone.
“We believe in his innocence and he’s keen to clear his name,” he said.
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Amone played well in patches for the struggling Dragons last season, who thought highly enough of the Illawarra junior to sign him to a $500,000 a year contract.
There’s a chance Amone may even play for his junior club, Western Suburbs Red Devils, during his suspension, but such a move needs to be approved by the NRL.
“The Wests coach has contacted me,” Amone says.
“I told him if I’m not able to play, I’d love to help out any way possible, see my little brothers there and come to training sessions and help out.
“This little setback, it’s made for a bigger comeback. It affected me a bit but now I can see the big picture, that once I do come back, it will disappear, it will make me stronger mentally and physically.
“That’s what I’m most excited about coming back, proving a lot of haters and doubters wrong and proving my loved ones, my family and myself right.”
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