WHETHER Robert Lui is permitted to continue playing in the NRL still depends heavily on the result of his court case, despite North Queensland yesterday announcing they had signed the former Wests Tigers halfback.
The Cowboys issued a media release to say they had signed Lui to a two-year deal.
The Tigers issued a release soon after to confirm they had released Lui from the final year of his contract.
Lui appeared in Burwood Local Court on October 27 and pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on his partner, Taleah Rae Backo. The matter was adjourned to December 9.
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Cowboys general manager Peter Parr said the club would be welcoming Lui ''into a solid playing group that will provide leadership and support''. Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys added: ''Robert is a prodigious talent who will greatly benefit from the family support available to him in Townsville. We wish him well for the next phase of his career.''
But the NRL is monitoring the court case, and because of its strong stance against violence against women it is only natural to think Lui could be banned from playing in the competition if found guilty.
''There is a matter before the court, so we can't speculate,'' league spokesman John Brady said last night. ''We will continue to watch proceedings closely.''
Asked about Lui's uncertain future, Parr told the
Herald: ''We will wait to see
I have talked to him and other people involved in it, but it's difficult to comment because it's still before the courts. If it doesn't go the way we think it may, we might have to reassess, but he has pleaded not guilty and at this stage we're confident through our own research that he will be playing footy with us next year.''
