Smith, who played 75 games for the Knights between 2013 and 2016, represented himself when he pleaded guilty in Newcastle Local Court on Friday.

Magistrate David Price convicted him of common assault, contravening the conditions of an apprehended domestic violence order (AVDO) and a domestic violence-related count each of stalk/intimidate intending fear or harm and destroy or damage property valued less than $2000.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Smith elbowed Mrs Smith in the face outside Williamtown McDonald's on the afternoon of October 11 last year after accusing her of having a relationship with another man. The facts said the pair had been in a domestic relationship for 20 years but had split in early 2019 - Smith had not lived in the family home for four months.

Mrs Smith had just picked up the 39-year-old and their four children, then aged between six and 13, from Newcastle Airport after the kids had spent five days with their father at his new home on the Gold Coast.

Outside McDonald's Smith took Mrs Smith's phone to search for evidence of the alleged new relationship, despite her asking him to hand it back 10 times as the children watched.

She reached to take the phone back, but withdrew when Smith started to raise his arm before he elbowed her in the eye.

"He intentionally over extended his arm when doing this and it was not a simple gesture to stop the victim from grabbing her phone," the facts said.

Smith returned the phone when his eldest daughter demanded he do so.

He was in Newcastle for two weddings, court documents said, but it had been made clear he was not welcome at the family home.

Shortly before midnight, Smith and his estranged wife traded text messages in which he said he was on his way to the Hamilton home only to be told not to turn up at the house.

When he arrived and could not get through the front door Smith turned off the house's power supply.

The facts said cutting the power failed to unlock the electronic door, so Smith forced his way through the window of his young son's bedroom. Mrs Smith was in the room at the time.

She picked up her son's baseball bat and backed down the hall with the children as Smith followed.

After she locked herself and the kids safely in her bedroom and called police, Smith punched a wall so hard that his fist went into the room where the family was hiding.

Police arrived and arrested Smith outside the home - the attending officers believed he was moderately alcohol-affected.

On October 31, Mrs Smith unknowingly pulled up behind Smith at a set of traffic lights in Newcastle West as they were both on their way to court in relation to the incident earlier that month.

The agreed facts said Smith's vehicle reversed at her car, stopping before impact.

Smith then walked to the back of his vehicle and yelled at his estranged wife: "f**k you, f**k off".

On Friday, Smith was sentenced to a 15-month community corrections order and fined $750. He told the court he was pleading guilty because he did not want his eldest daughter to have to take to the witness box.

Magistrate Price said the former NRL player's behaviour was "very poor" and "at least at the mid range in terms of seriousness".

He acknowledged Smith's previous good record and said he was entitled to leniency, but that his actions "should not be trivialised".

"Conduct of this nature is unacceptable," he said. "Domestic violence is a scourge on the community."

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