The lawyer representing Manase Fainu, a former Manly rugby league player convicted of a stabbing incident, plans to personally appeal to ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys for his client’s return to professional rugby league. Fainu, 27, who has played 34 games as a hooker in the National Rugby League (NRL), could be eligible for parole in late November. If granted parole, Fainu intends to seek to revive his playing career with legal support from his lawyer, Paul McGirr.

McGirr expressed confidence in V’landys’s practical approach, highlighting the ARL chairman’s leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including adoption of case-by-case assessments. “I’d be happy to speak with him on behalf of Manase in order to get him back on the field,” McGirr said. He emphasized that Fainu has served his sentence without incident and expressed hope that this record would open a pathway for the player’s reinstatement.

Fainu was convicted in August 2022 of wounding with intent and causing grievous bodily harm after stabbing a man with a 10-centimeter knife at a church dance in western Sydney. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, with a non-parole period of four years and three months. Since then, Fainu has reportedly been a model prisoner and has been granted day release at times.

McGirr indicated that Fainu’s ultimate goal remains a return to professional rugby league and urged the NRL to consider allowing him back into the sport following completion of his sentence. The timeline for any potential return largely depends on the parole board’s decision later this year. The ARL Commission and the NRL have not publicly commented on the matter.