Manase Fainu's NRL career is in tatters after the Manly hooker was found guilty of a stabbing at a Sydney church dance in 2019.
Stood down for almost three years, Fainu's fate was sealed on Thursday when a jury took two hours to hand down its verdict at Parramatta District Court.
The 24-year-old had continually denied wounding youth leader Faamanu Levi with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in late October, 2019.
Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler dialled in for Thursday's verdict, while Manly teammate Josh Aloiai also attended a day of the trial.
The judgment brings to an end seasons of uncertainty around Manly's No.9 jersey.
A rising star of their junior system, Fainu captained the club's under-20s team to the premiership in the final year of the competition in 2017.
He debuted for Manly the following year and by 2019 had usurped Apisai Koroisau as the club's starting hooker with his spark out of dummy-half.
It prompted the Sea Eagles to gamble on the young rake, letting Koroisau go and seeing Fainu as the future with the way he slotted into the club's up-tempo attack.
But that plan failed miserably, with Fainu's charge coming just weeks after the 2019 grand final.
Koroisau has since gone on to be one of the heartbeats of Penrith's rise, taking them to the 2021 title and winning three NSW State of Origin jerseys along the way.
Fainu, in comparison, has not played since while remaining contracted.
He was stood down under the NRL's no-fault policy when charged in late October 2019, and has battled shoulder injuries ever since.
In the meantime Manly battled with Danny Levi as their No.9 for one season before turning one-time playmaker Lachlan Croker into a more dependable dummy-half.
Fainu becomes just the second player stood down under the NRL's automatic no-fault policy to be found guilty of the crime they were charged with since its introduction in 2019.
Manly did not offer comment when approached on Thursday, with coach Hasler to front the media on Friday morning.
