League player pleads guilty to assault

Rugby league player Russell Packer has pleaded guilty to an assault that left a man with two fractured bones during a late-night fight in Sydney's CBD.

Packer punched the man in Martin Place in November after being kicked out of a nearby hotel.

The 24-year-old appeared in Downing Centre Local Court on Monday morning where he pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and failing to quit a venue.

The court heard that Packer, a Newcastle Knights recruit, had been asked to leave the hotel because he was so drunk.

He then walked 20 metres to a public seating area in Martin Place, where he got into a disagreement with another man.

Packer's lawyer, Murugan Thangaraj, said his client significantly overreacted and punched the man in the left side of his face.

The victim suffered two fractured bones.

Mr Thangaraj said he did not deny that the injuries were serious, but said the assault was not a king-hit.

The matter has been adjourned until midday.