A MAN has been charged over the assault that left Knights prop Jacob Saifiti in hospital with a fractured leg.
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Saifiti was knocked out after allegedly being punched during the incident and injured his leg after falling awkwardly.
The incident outside Hamilton’s Greenroof Hotel happened just prior to 2.30am according to police, with several Knights players out together on Saturday to farewell England-bound former team-mate Luke Yates.
Officers from Newcastle City Police District were notified of the incident on Monday and commenced an investigation.
Following inquiries, a 28-year-old Adamstown man attended Newcastle Police Station about 4.45pm Wednesday where he was arrested and charged with reckless grievous bodily harm.
He has been granted conditional bail to appear in Newcastle Local Court on Thursday January 10.
Saifiti is facing possible disciplinary action from the Knights after the incident.
Early indications are he could be sidelined for up to three months although the extent of his surgery is unclear. He played just eight NRL games last season after fracturing his shoulder blade against the Titans in May.
The Herald previously reported that Knights officials and coach Nathan Brown were furious the off-field incident has taken the gloss off the club’s outstanding recruitment efforts during the off-season.
