A rugby league club in Sydney's Macarthur region has written to players and parents after being publicly linked to three 17-year-old schoolboys charged over the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old girl at a house on 15 August. The club, which cannot be named for legal reasons, condemned violence and abuse against women, offered support to those affected, and asked members not to discuss the case publicly or respond to comments at matches while the police investigation continues. The case has drawn wider attention because the accused attended a football match and reportedly drank at a local pub with the girl beforehand, prompting scrutiny of underage drinking at the venue involved.

The three boys are due back before a children's court next month; one remains in custody while the other two have been granted bail. Two of the accused attend St Gregory's College and the third attends Elderslie High School, with the college's principal having already suspended two students over the allegations. Police allege the assault occurred after the group left a function connected to a sporting club at the Plough and Harrow Hotel in Camden, which is now under investigation alongside Liquor and Gaming NSW over claims of underage drinking; the hotel has declined to comment. The teen in custody faces 11 charges, including six counts of aggravated sexual assault in company and three of sexual intercourse without consent, while another faces eight charges including similar counts plus common assault.