Two Broncos players have been sacked, one is facing a criminal charge, a man is lying in hospital with serious head injuries and the NRL is again reeling from a late-night, alcohol-fuelled controversy.

Ian Lacey was charged with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm after a man was allegedly chased and bashed in Brisbane's CBD about 4.30am on Saturday, after the Broncos' annual club presentation night.

Lacey and teammate John Te Reo were swiftly booted from the Broncos yesterday, while the 32-year-old alleged victim remained in hospital with a suspected fractured skull and possible bleeding on the brain.

A handcuffed Lacey was granted conditional bail at Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday and the 22-year-old is due to face a committal hearing in January. Police will wait for Te Reo, who has not been charged with any offence, to return from a New Zealand holiday before interviewing him.

A Queensland Police spokeswoman said he would not be extradited, while Broncos chief executive, Bruno Cullen, urged the 21-year-old to return.

"Someone asked me last week did I think drugs were the biggest problem the code had and my answer was that I think alcohol was the biggest problem we've got. And I still do," Cullen told a media conference yesterday.

"I think these incidents that happen across the board in any code start with alcohol, whether that's a drug-related incident, whether that's a drink-driving charge, whether that's a fight in the street, abuse or disrespect to females or whatever, it's alcohol."

Brisbane's decision to cut both players was based on a breach of the club's code of conduct and is unrelated to the police investigation. Before tearing up the contracts, Cullen first sought legal advice to ensure the move would not prejudice the legal case.

Both men were devastated when told of their sackings, but it continues Brisbane's hardline approach to off-field indiscretion after Neville Costigan and Brett Seymour were sacked for repeated alcohol-related transgressions last year.

Lacey, along with Wallabies Lote Tuqiri and Matt Dunning, was interviewed by police in August but cleared of any wrongdoing after a taxi driver was assaulted outside a Brisbane hotel.

Cullen hinted that the club would review its recruitment policy, with a greater focus on background tests and psychological profiling.

"When we recruit people, have we gone far enough into their background and their psychology, whether we're getting the right people or not?" he said. "There's a whole review process that will take place over this and we've really got to look at what we are doing to make sure it doesn't happen again."

The NRL will await a report from the club and the outcome of the court case before considering deregistration of either player, and spokesman John Brady said: "We're doing everything we can to prevent it from happening, but you are never going to have a time when somebody is not involved in these sorts of things.

"What we've got to ensure is that the players are aware that if they do step out of line they will face penalties."