A request for John Hopoate to be allowed to resume coaching Manly's SG Ball team until the dispute between the Sea Eagles and the NRL is heard by the Supreme Court has reportedly been rejected by ARL Commission chairman John Grant.
Hopoate's barrister Julieanne Levick is yet to follow up on a threat to go to court to gain a ruling over whether the NRL acted outside its jurisdiction in banning him from coaching in the under-18s competition following advice from police.
According to Fairfax Media, in an email sent to Grant on Tuesday, she indicated the matter would head to court this week.
"My instructor will shortly file into the NSW Supreme Court seeking declaratory relief on the issue of the NRL attempting to assert jurisdiction over SG Ball coaches," Levick wrote.
"With respect, we ask that you refrain from issuing any breach notice in the event that John Hopoate resumes coaching until each parties [sic] rights have been determined by the court. In the absence of such an undertaking we will be seeking immediate injunctive relief and will rely on this correspondence on an application as to costs."
The Hopoate camp, which argues that it is the NSWRL that has jurisdiction over the under-age competition and not the NRL, is left with no option than to file for an injunction or drop the issue after Grant reaffirmed that League Central would not budge.
"As far as we're concerned the matter is closed in that Manly have stood John Hopoate down indefinitely," Fairfax reported Grant saying on Tuesday night. "If they change their position then we'll change our position, but it's pretty black and white.
"We have done the work to determine whether or not we've got the jurisdiction. We believe we have and therefore we will exercise that. If in fact they don't agree with that then they will exercise their rights.
"They've got a right to go to the NRL tribunal and I guess they've got a right of law. They'll choose what they choose to do," Grant said
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