'Crushed': Two months shaved off ex-Dragon's hammer attack sentence

Talatau 'Junior' Amone had his $500,000 NRL contract torn up after he was found guilty last year of chasing a tradie up a hammer across from his Warrawong home in November 2022.

The 22-year-old faced Sydney's Downing Centre District Court alongside his father and co-offender Talatau 'Senior' Amone on Wednesday to appeal the severity of their sentences.

The duo were found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company, stalking or intimidation, and damaging property relating to the November 2022 attack.

A magistrate found tradesmen Jai King and Dean West were working on a rooftop when a dispute involving Senior erupted over a Nissan Navara parked on a nature strip.

Mr King said Senior elbowed the rearview mirror and snapped off an indicator, before Junior jumped on the vehicle.

Junior then climbed onto the roof and swung a hammer at him, with Mr King falling from the two-storey height and sustaining serious injuries, including broken hands and ribs.

Junior narrowly escaped time behind bars, while Senior received two years and six months' jail.

Junior was ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid community service work, which the court heard he has since completed.

In the aftermath of the sentence, Junior was de-registered by the NRL with his $500,000 contract torn up.

Junior's manager Mario Tartek wrote in a letter to the court that the offending was out of character and Junior would lose approximately $7 million in income over the next decade due to losing his contract.

Defence barrister John Korn asked Judge William Fitzsimmons on Wednesday to reduce his Junior's intensive correction order from two years to one to improve his chances at returning to the NRL.

This which would mean the sentence would conclude before the end of the year to allow him to "recommence an association with professional rugby ... on or after" December 11.

However, the judge re-sentenced the Amone to a 16-month intensive correction order, meaning the total sentence will not be completed until October 2025.

"This type of unprovoked, violent behaviour ... must be denounced," he said.

Judge Fitzsimmons found the conduct was out of character for Amone and that he was spurred on by his father.

But he noted the former NRL young gun had not expressed remorse for his actions.

Nevertheless, Amone had good prospects of rehabilitation, having continued his training regime, adding it would be a tragedy for him if he lost his chance to continue his career, the judge said.

Amone had undertaking various tasks for his junior club and was being mentored by two professional players, the court heard.

Speaking outside court, Mr Korn said Amone likely "feels crushed" by the outcome with no known avenues of appeal left open to him.

Senior's appeal was adjourned to August to allow time for his suitability for home detention to be assessed.

- With AAP.