North Queensland Cowboys player Scott Bolton has pleaded guilty to common assault eight months after he was accused of grabbing a woman at a bar in Sydney's east.

Bolton, 31, was at the Bondi Beach Public Bar with teammates at about 10.30pm on May 5, 2018 when he touched a woman on the upper thigh as she moved away from a couch.

The woman had been sitting alone, looking at her phone, when Bolton approached her and "slumped down" next to her. She tried to slide away, but Bolton moved closer to her, and as she stood up to walk from the area Bolton reached forward and touched her thigh.

Police were called to the venue after the woman made a complaint to bar staff. The entire interaction was captured on CCTV.