Blues player Blake Ferguson leaves a Sydney police station after being charged with indecent assault. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)
BLUES and Raiders star Blake Ferguson has been charged with indecent assault following an incident at a Sydney nightclub.
He has been granted conditional bail to appear in Waverley Local Court on July 16.
Ferguson was out celebrating former Raiders team-mate Josh Dugan’s recall to the NSW side for game two of Origin next week.
Police say Ferguson allegedly indecently assaulted a woman, also aged 23, while inside the 2230 Bar and Restaurant in Cronulla at about 10:30pm on Sunday.
The woman immediately reported the incident to Cronulla Police.
Detectives viewed CCTV vision and spoke with a number of people in regards to the incident before arresting the Canberra winger at Waverley Police Station early Monday evening.
Troubled former Canberra teammate Josh Dugan who was also present at the nightspot was apparently not involved in the incident.
Ferguson’s charge overshadowed the first day of camp in Coogee for Laurie Daley’s side who are looking to claim a first series win since 2005 with victory over Queensland in Brisbane on June 26.
The team’s main media session for the week was put back by almost two hours on Monday with Daley reading from a prepared statement to confirm police were investigating the situation.
Daley now has little option but to stand Ferguson down as he did with prop James Tamou, who last week was charged with high-range drink-driving.
Ferguson could also find himself without an NRL club having been told by Canberra this year that any further off-field incidents would result in his contract being torn up.
It’s the latest incident in a chequered career for Ferguson, who along with Dugan had been dubbed `the booze brothers’.
By Ian McCullough in Sydney
[ Source: Australian Times ]