Manly winger Jorge Taufua has been suspended for the final two games of the NRL regular season after pleading guilty to assaulting a police officer on the Gold Coast last October.
Working in conjunction with the NRL, the Sea Eagles took action after Taufua changed his plea in relation to allegations he spat at a police officer outside a Surfers Paradise nightclub in the early hours of October 19.
The matter is headed back to the courts on Wednesday.
"After careful deliberation, and a recent changing of legal firms, Jorge has chosen to plead guilty, but with strong mitigating circumstances," a statement put out by the Sea Eagles read.
"At the time of the incident, the club took no official sanction as the matter was under due investigative process and Jorge had not offered any plea.
"But after the latest consultation with his legal representative and the NRL, resulting in a guilty plea, the club believes it is now appropriate to make an announcement."
It is a timely call by the Sea Eagles, with Taufua set to be available for Manly's opening finals game.
The Sea Eagles are already guaranteed to play finals football and need to win just one of their last two games to secure a top four finish.
Manly coach Geoff Toovey admitted on Wednesday morning there was already doubt over Taufua's availability for Saturday night's encounter against Melbourne with the bullocking winger struggling with a cork.
Taufua has apologised for his role in the incident and is seeking counselling through the NRL's endorsed counselling service.
"Since the incident, Jorge has shown unconditional remorse and regret, and has vowed to learn from such a setback," Manly general manager David Perry said.
