Former NRL player Ben Barba will return to Townsville in May to face public nuisance offences after a last-minute decision not to plead guilty.
Barba had initially intended to plead guilty in Mackay Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning.
However his lawyer, Campbell MacCallum, told AAP the charges would now be adjourned to Townsville on May 7 because he was "not satisfied" with the facts the prosecution intended to put before the court.
The 29-year-old was charged with two counts of public nuisance following an incident at a Townsville Casino in January which cost him his lucrative deal with the North Queensland Cowboys.
Mr MacCallum said he would negotiate with prosecutors in Townsville before the matter could proceed.
Barba was sacked by the North Queensland Cowboys in February without playing a game for the club over allegations he was violent towards his partner Ainslie Currie in the Australia Day incident.
Barba had been offered a lifeline to return to the NRL with the Cowboys after stints with French rugby union and the English Super League.
However, the NRL hit Barba with a lifetime ban after viewing CCTV footage of the alleged incident outside the casino.
The 2012 Dally M medallist and father of four daughters has since started working in a metal workshop in Mackay.
Australian Associated Press
