The trial of the brothers, accused of dragging a teenage girl into bushes at Tanilba Bay, holding her down and raping her, began in Newcastle District Court yesterday.

The brothers allegedly covered the girl's mouth, threatened her, ripped her clothes off and had sex with her before she passed out, prosecutor Greg Coles told the jury during his opening address.

Damien Christopher Law, 28, of Maitland, and Jason Stuart Law, 23, of Lochinvar, pleaded not guilty to having sexual intercourse without the girl's consent and recklessly inflicting actual bodily harm.

Both denied the allegations when they were interviewed by detectives in March last year, Mr Coles said.

A group of people were drinking alcohol around a fire in parkland at Tanilba Bay on the night of October 17, 2008, when the girl moved away from the group to talk on a mobile phone, Mr Coles said.

The girl told detectives that Damien Law approached her from behind and grabbed her by the arm.

Mr Coles said the girl allegedly saw Jason Law following his brother and that one of them covered her mouth and threatened her as they dragged her into the bushes.

She suffered cuts and bruises to her legs as she was dragged, Mr Coles said, and struggled to breathe when a hand was put over her mouth and her hair was pulled.

The girl told police Jason Law sat beside her while Damien Law moved to between her legs before she felt a pain in her vagina and passed out.

A friend looking for the girl asked the brothers if they had seen her, Mr Coles said. The brothers said they had not, but the friend kept looking and found the girl crying with blood on her knee and mouth.

The girl was dressed only in her bra and her clothes were nearby, Mr Coles said. The friend helped the girl dress and they were picked up by a relative.

They went to the police the next day and the girl was examined at John Hunter Hospital.

The trial before Judge Raymond McLoughlin is expected to run for four or five days.