NRL star claims cops hit him with 'barrage of punches'

Tom Starling said he copped a barrage of punches from an unknown assailant in an all-out attack. (Steven Markham/AAP PHOTOS)

An NRL star has described being set upon by police officers in an all-out assault and punched in the head until he blacked out during a brawl at a 21st birthday party.

Canberra Raiders hooker Tom Starling, 26, was at Shady Palms restaurant on the NSW Central Coast with his parents and brothers Jackson, 29, and Josh, 24, for the festivities in December 2020.