Dragons star Talatau Amone has been cleared by the NRL to play despite a string of serious charges

The NRL has cleared St George Illawarra five-eighth Talatau Amone to play, allowing him to take his place in the club’s season opener against Gold Coast on Sunday.

The Dragons were informed on Tuesday afternoon, just hours before they were due to announce their team, that Amone was free to play.

The NRL’s no-fault stand down rule had been applied to Amone because of charges laid against him in the pre-season, but that has now been lifted.

As Amone’s charges were moved to the local court with a reduced potential sentence, the automatic no-fault stand down rule no longer applied.

While NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo had discretionary powers in this matter, he chose to clear Amone to play pending the outcome of his court hearing.

The NRL confirmed the decision on Tuesday afternoon, giving Amone the green light to play in the season opener.

Talatau Amone of the Dragons runs with the ball during the round 10 NRL match between the Gold Coast Titans and the St George Illawarra Dragons at Suncorp Stadium

‘The National Rugby League has today (Tuesday) confirmed that the No-Fault Stand Down Condition will no longer apply to St George Illawarra Dragons player Talatau Junior Amone, effective immediately,’ the statement read. 

‘Mr Amone is now eligible to be selected to participate as a player in the NRL competition.’

Last month, Amone, also known as Junior, was charged with causing reckless grievous bodily harm in company, damaging property, and stalking in relation to an alleged incident in November of last year.

According to reports, Amone allegedly joined his father Talatau and a third individual in attacking the victim while armed with a hammer, urging them to ‘Get the f***ing c***’ as the victim lay on the ground.

Amone will be free to play for the Dragons against the Gold Coast in their 2023 NRL season opener this weekend

 Due to the potential severity of the charges, Amone will be subject to the NRL’s no-fault stand down policy. 

This policy is implemented when a player faces a potential jail sentence of 11 years or more after being charged by police. The charge of reckless grievous bodily harm in company alone carries a potential jail term of 14 years.