St George Illawarra forward Francis Molo pleads guilty to intimidation charge

St George Illawarra forward Francis Molo has pleaded guilty to one charge of intimidation in relation to an incident on December 17 last year.

The 28-year-old has been accused of stalking/intimidating a woman in a domestic setting after his affair was briefly mentioned while being reported by on Wednesday The Illawarra Mercury that his lawyers intended to contest some details of the incident.

Francis Molo pleads guilty to domestic violence charges

“Francis Molo today pleaded guilty to intimidation charges related to an incident at his home,” the Dragons said in a statement.

“The NRL Integrity Unit was made aware of the matter at the time.

“The Dragons will continue to provide Francis and his partner with any support they may need.

“The club will not comment further on this matter.”

The NRL has set a precedent for imposing bans on players under the no-fault stand-down policy for involvement in charges involving women or children.

It is now at the discretion of CEO Andrew Abdo to rule on Molo’s situation as the charges are not of sufficient gravity to automatically prevent him from playing.

One of the most recent cases in which the no-fault condition was used was when Luciano Leilua was charged with alleged domestic violence last year.

“The decision should in no way be construed as a view of the player’s innocence or guilt,” the NRL said in a statement when handing down the Cowboys forward’s suspension.

“In this case, the ‘no-fault’ discretionary condition was applied because the criminal complaint includes allegations that the player acted violently in relation to a woman.”

Could Francis Molo be banned from playing for the Dragons?

The Dragons prop had previously been suspended for four games for a high tackle in his side’s game against the Gold Coast Titans at the end of last year.

However, his club had successfully argued that his remaining games should have counted towards his absence from the Samoa side at the Rugby League World Cup.

The Dragons noted the former Queensland representative would have been picked for Samoa had he not already been suspended.

This meant Molo was originally free to play the Titans in round two, with the Red V starting their season with a bye.

But if he is issued with a flawless resignation policy, Molo will not be able to return to the Dragons team until court matters are resolved.

It continues a horror off-season for the club which has seen Talatau Amone resign following serious assault allegations.

The news also comes after Mikaele Ravalawa and Zane Musgrove were fined for an altercation at the team hotel after a night out in Mudgee.

St. George’s opening games for the 2023 season

Round	Game
1	Bye
2	Dragons vs Titans [H]
3	Broncos vs Dragons [A]
4	Dragons vs Sharks [H]
5	Dragons versus Dolphins [H]