- Shontelle Stowers was acquitted of hitting her former teammate
- Stowers and Caitlin Keefe got into a fight in 2021 and clashed in a pub
- The magistrate could not determine whether she had punched Keefe
A pioneer in women’s rugby league has successfully defended herself in court after being accused of punching a former teammate in the face during a pub drinking session.
Shontelle Stowers, who plays for the Parramatta Eels, had her charges dropped after pleading not guilty to punching Caitlin Keefe, a former teammate at the North Sydney Bears, during an incident at Manly’s Ivanhoe Hotel.
Regarded as one of the pioneers of NRLW, Stowers was picked for NSW in his home state and has represented Australia in rugby union and Rugby 7s. She appeared at Manly Local Court on Monday charged with common assault.
Police alleged that Stowers, a commentator for Fox Sports, hit Keefe – a former close friend and teammate on the Bears – in the side of the face with a closed fist and told her, “Don’t you think we’re fucking? friends’.
The court was told both women had been drinking and 36-year-old Stowers said she had an “altercation” with Keefe in 2021, but denied punching her on the night in question at the Ivanhoe on July 10.
An NRLW player was cleared of punching a former teammate in the face during a pub session
Shontelle Stowers (right) was accused of punching ex-teammate Caitlin Keefe in July
She claimed she pushed Keefe to the top of her chest with her right hand after Keefe got close to her face and grabbed her “by the scruff of the neck.”
“She definitely threatened my space,” Stowers said in court.
‘I am a strong person.
‘I know the damage that can be done.
“I don’t throw my fists at anyone.”
Keefe, meanwhile, told the court she was not injured during the incident and there were no bruises to her face.
Another former teammate, Shenia Lendill, was in the pub during the incident and told the court she thought she saw Stowers ‘wave at Caitlin’, but admitted it could have been a push.
Stowers and Keefe had a falling out in 2021 after Keefe took exception to the way Stowers treated her new partner during social gatherings.
Keefe (above) and Stowers fell out in 2021 and crossed paths in Manly
The pair crossed paths at an unofficial end-of-season drinking event for the Bears women’s team. Stowers said she was asked to drinks by a club manager and another Bears player.
Stowers said her friendship with Keefe had fizzled and she had distanced herself from her old teammate. She also admitted to telling Keefe, “Don’t you think we’re f*cking friends.”
Magistrate Robert Williams dismissed the case because the court could not be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Stowers had punched Keefe.