Josh Dugan's latest alleged driving offence has embroiled the star fullback in a deja vu nightmare for him and the Canberra Raiders on the eve of the NRL season.
While Dugan's manager Paul Sutton said the 21-year-old was ''embarrassed and remorseful'' after the public airing of his latest alleged driving indiscretion, it is almost a replica of the situation Dugan faced during the 2010 season.
The latest driving allegations against Dugan will be the subject of a case management hearing in the ACT Magistrates Court on February 16. Dugan will not be required to attend.
ACT Policing would not release details of the case yesterday, citing privacy reasons, but it's understood Dugan was allegedly clocked driving at 105km/h in a 60km/h zone in August last year.
He faces charges of speeding and driving with a suspended licence, although Dugan's lawyer, Kamy Saeedi, told The Canberra Times he would ''definitely'' defend the latter charge.
One of the hottest talents in the NRL, Dugan is in the final stages of contract negotiations with the Raiders and a decision is expected before the March 3 season kick-off.
The Raiders and Sutton both agreed yesterday that the impending court case is unlikely to have any impact on those contract negotiations.
But incredibly, the situation mirrors the scenario in 2010 when Dugan emerged from an ACT courtroom to announce he'd signed a contract extension with the Raiders until the end of the 2012 season.
On that occasion, in July 2010, Dugan's licence had been initially disqualified for 15 months after he pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court to driving recklessly and driving with a suspended licence.
Dugan later successfully appealed against the driving disqualification conviction in the Supreme Court, citing a fundamental error in the process of suspension. His licence was reinstated in October 2010.
Raiders chief executive Don Furner yesterday rejected accusations that the club had tried to cover up Dugan's latest driving charges.
In a prepared statement, Furner said: ''As to the allegation that we tried to hide it from anybody, it was in the police records that he got pulled over for speeding.
''It's my understanding that he didn't know that he had a suspended licence and that's what he'll be contesting next Thursday.''
NRL boss David Gallop was unavailable for comment yesterday but an NRL spokesperson said the Raiders had no obligation to report the incident to the league.
The spokesperson said the NRL was comfortable with the court and the Raiders determining any sanctions for a potential disciplinary breach.
Dugan, who is still driving, trained with the Raiders yesterday morning before travelling to Batlow for the club's community engagement campaign.
The State of Origin and NRL All-Stars representative did not talk to media yesterday.
While Sutton spoke on behalf of his client, he also expressed concern for the negative effect it may have on the Raiders club.
As well as trying to re-sign their star fullback, the Raiders are hunting for a major sponsor.
''I just hope it doesn't affect the Raiders and what they're trying to do in achieving major sponsors and things like that,'' Sutton said.
''I haven't talked to [Dugan] about it, but everything has a knock-on effect, doesn't it?
''He's definitely remorseful and he's embarrassed, too.''
Sutton confirmed he would be meeting Furner within the next fortnight to continue contract talks.
Dugan has been linked with the Bulldogs and Roosters while reports have suggested the Tuggeranong junior could command as much as $700,000 a season.
But Sutton again stressed that he had not entered into formal negotiations with any rival club.
''Everything's very positive at the Raiders and at this stage we haven't had the need to talk to any other clubs,'' Sutton said.
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