Nene’s Italian snub
Warrant for ex-NRL man on Italian trip
AN arrest warrant has been issued for Cairns rugby league player Nene Macdonald (right) after he failed to show at his court appearance because he was on holiday in Italy.
The former Cowboys player was due to face Townsville Magistrates yesterday charged with driving on a disqualified licence after allegedly crashing a hire car on Magnetic Island last month.
FORMER Cowboy Nene Macdonald is partying it up on the Amalfi Coast in Italy instead of appearing in Townsville Magistrates Court yesterday morning to face unlicensed driving charges.
Magistrate Howard Osborne has issued a warrant for Macdonald’s arrest after he failed to appear in court on charges for driving on a disqualified licence after allegedly crashing a hire car on Magnetic Island last month.
The former Cairns junior player has been sharing snaps from the Amalfi Coast on his Instagram page.
He was pictured with his mate, Townsville footy player Josh Brack, at the Trevi Fountain in Rome on Monday Australian time.
His Instagram story showed him eating watermelon on the beach at Positano and enjoying lunch with a small group of friends.
It’s not the first incident of failing to appear before the court after court documents revealed Macdonald was caught behind the wheel without a licence days after Christmas in 2016 and was supposed to appear in court the following month but never showed.
A warrant was issued for his arrest but he was only arrested in May, two years later.
The matter was only finalised on June 18 and his licence was disqualified for six months. Two days later he allegedly crashed a hire car on Magnetic Island. On July 5 the winger was dropped from the NRL club less than a year into a three-year contract following the incident.
Cowboys general manager Peter Parr said at the time of the contract release that it was a mutual agreement between the club, Macdonald and his manager.
He said the Magnetic Island crash contributed to the decision but was not the only “sole discussion point”.
“The club and Nene felt it was time for him to have a break from the game and to end the contract.”
Macdonald went on to play only five games for the club before suffering a season ending ankle injury.