Former Knight Jarrod Mullen may have to personally appear at Newcastle local court in October despite the 32-year-old's lawyer asking for him to be excused.
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Mr Mullen did not have to appear personally at court when his matter was mentioned on Thursday.
The former Origin play-maker was arrested at his Wollongong home on May 29.
He was charged with three counts of supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug and one count of supplying a traffickable quantity of a prohibited drug.
Mr Mullen is alleged to have supplied cocaine on four occasions at Cameron Park in November last year.
He was arrested by Strike Force Castlestead detectives, who have charged several people as part of an investigation into a large-scale alleged drug syndicate operating between Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Sydney.
In court on Thursday, Mr Mullen's legal representative asked for her client to be excused from appearing on October 16, when the matter is due for charge certification.
But the prosecution opposed the move, saying they believed Mr Mullen was required to personally appear in court on that occasion.
Visiting Magistrate Ron Maiden said he would note that Mr Mullen may be excused on October 16 but would ultimately leave it up to the resident magistrate to decide before the former NRL player's next court date.
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