Police allege Christos Theoharis, 47, was responsible for robbing a female worker at Woolworths Unanderra on the evening of August 18, 2011, saying he threatened to stab her if she did not hand over the float she had just collected from a till at the supermarket.

The woman, who had the drawstring of the white calico bag containing the $535 cash wrapped around her wrist, tried to fight the perpetrator off at first, however, it is alleged he reefed the bag from her grasp and ran out of the store.

As the thief ran, his distinctive green hat flew off. It was later picked up by police and forensically examined.

Police documents tendered in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday allege DNA was matched to Theoharis after he was picked up in South Australia on an unrelated matter last year and his DNA profile was obtained.

Theoharis was extradited to NSW and charged with a single count of armed robbery.

He sought release on bail on Wednesday while his case proceeded through the court system, saying he could live at an address in Sydney, would agree to report to police and could put up a surety to ensure his attendance at court.

However, the magistrate, Michael Stoddart, refused to release Theoharis, noting he had a poor record for attending court and the case against him appeared to be a strong one.

"The fact that he fled the jurisdiction doesn't give the court any confidence that he would turn up to court if granted bail," Mr Stoddart said.

The case will be heard in June.