Fallen footy star Brett Finch made it to the peak of his sport before cashing on several lucrative contracts as an NRL commentator – but he now finds himself facing a litany of serious charges relating to child abuse material after a long battle with drugs and alcohol.
The arrest came as a massive shock to the rugby league world who once regarded the 40-year-old among the most popular personalities in the game.
Just days ago on a podcast he revealed how his life unravelled due to addiction, costing him high-flying media roles, almost destroying his future marriage and leaving him suicidal.
He called the moment he was stood down from Channel Nine at the end of 2016 ‘rock bottom’.
Finch on Tuesday was rounded up by police at his San Souci home in southern Sydney as part of a major police operation targeting child pornography.
He was slapped with five counts of using a carriage service to transmit or publish or promote child abuse, and is accused of ‘commenting’ on child abuse material in an online chatroom.
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NRL star Brett Finch (pictured being arrested) has been charged as part of a child abuse bust
Finch recently recalled how his partner Elli (pictured) packed her bags and returned to Melbourne during a particularly low period with his drug use
The retired footballer was one of eight men, aged between 34 and 71, who were caught up in the sting targeting a group allegedly involved with child abuse material via an online chat.
Finch’s bombshell arrest comes after a string of high-profile controversies stemming from his addiction struggles.
Considered a likeable larrikin, the hard-working halfback from Maitland in NSW, ended up playing 270 NRL games plus another 60 more in the English Super League.
When he hung the boots in 2013, Finch was snapped up Channel Nine and and handed a big money contract before eventually blowing the deal.
‘Rock bottom was when I’d been stood down from Channel Nine, just to get healthy,’ he told the Turn Up The Talk podcast with Pat Clifton.
Finch recalled how he snuck into bed and pretended to be asleep after spending all night in his loungeroom ‘using (drugs) and drinking’ so that his then girlfriend Elli would think he had been in bed.
Former NRL star Brett Finch (pictured with his wife Elli Johnston) has been granted conditional bail
‘[I] pretend to wake up, put my radio shirt on because I was working for 2GB Continuous Call at the time… I’ve already called Ray [Hadley] to tell him I was sick,’ Finch recalled.
‘Get in the car, go straight to me dealer’s house.
‘My missus is from Melbourne, she’s not going to be listening to the radio, you know.
‘I’m thinking, Finchy, you magnificent bastard, you’ve come up with a great.. you know, I’m just going to go get on it all day.’
Finch revealed his plan came unstuck when his mother heard on the radio he was sick and his girlfriend subsequently found out.
‘Elli knew exactly where I’d gone,’ he said.
‘She said “I’m out, I’m going”. Packs her bags and goes back to Melbourne.
‘I get home, now I’m stood down from both jobs, and I go to my account and I’ve got minus $10. Eighteen months earlier, I had hundreds and thousands.
‘And my first thought is, where can I pick up, where can I get another one from?’
‘It’s taken everything from me but my thought is, “I still want another one”.
‘It’s ridiculous, I’ve just lost everything.’
The former star halfback, who played for Canberra, the Roosters, Parramatta and the Melbourne Storm in a 270-game NRL career said was forced to leave his gig at Channel Nine as a commentator and panellist on the NRL Footy Show in 2016, citing mental health issues
The group of men aged between 34 and 71 have been charged over their alleged involvement
Finch said the moment made him realise something had to change in his life.
‘I sat there and – not that I’ve ever contemplated suicide – but I sat there and went, mate, this is not living, this is existing.
‘I don’t have a dollar to my name, I’ve got no job, me missus has left, this is not living.’
Finch married his girlfriend of five years Elli Johnston in 2018 and the couple welcomed a baby girl in 2019.
He has previously discussed his battles with addiction following the end of his playing career, including stints in rehab in Thailand.
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‘It took a few years, it took three trips to rehab facilities,’ Finch told The Matty Johns Podcast in 2019.
‘I learned a lot about myself and the things that I’m dealing with. I had to realise I’m not going to get the highs I had in footy and for so long I was chasing that.’
Finch married his girlfriend of five years Elli Johnston in 2018 and the couple welcomed a baby girl in 2019
A man in leopard print shorts was seen being spoken to by detectives with what appeared to be children’s toys in the house behind him
As recently as October 2019, Finch checked himself into a mental health facility after he was seen asleep with a bloodied and runny nose on a flight from Sydney to the Gold Coast.
A fellow passenger said he had looked ‘white as a ghost’ and didn’t appear to want to get off the plane when it arrived.
Finch even dished out mental health advice for anyone who might facing similar demons.
‘People say they’re going through hell. Well, if you’re going through hell, keep going,’ he said.
‘Why stop? People give up because their life is hell. Keep going! Who wants to stay in hell?
‘I could have given up many times, I’m so glad I didn’t.
The former star halfback, who played for Canberra, the Roosters, Parramatta and the Melbourne Storm in a 270-game NRL career, had a troubled time after his retirement from the game in 2013
‘People didn’t give up on me.’
Finch’s most famous on-field moment came in the opening game of the 2006 State of Origin series, when he kicked a long field goal to win the match for the NSW Blues in front of 80,000 fans.
Now as part of his strict bail conditions, he banned from attending sporting events where children might be present.
The former Blues half was granted conditional police bail and will face Sydney’s Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday, January 11.
Court records obtained by Daily Mail Australia reveal the accused footballer’s bail conditions ban him from being around young children. He is also barred from accessing social media or the internet.
Other than immediate family, Finch cannot ‘communicate or attempt to communicate’ with any person under the age of 16 years, other than immediate family members.
Police seized mobile phones, electronic devices and cannabis during the raids across NSW
The order restricts him from going anywhere near places frequented by children, including video arcades, playgrounds, schools child care facilities, concerts or sporting venues.
Finch’s solicitor Paul McGirr said his client intends to fight the charges, stressing he is not alleged to have shared any child pornography.
‘There’s no evidence from the police to suggest otherwise,’ Mr McGirr said.
‘We don’t know who’s making those alleged comments. At this stage, it is a defended matter – there is nothing more I can add. All we have at this stage are scant details.
‘It would be foolish for anyone to comment or pass judgement on Brett or the matter.’
Just days ago on a podcast (pictured) he revealed how his life unravelled due to addiction, costing him high-flying media roles, almost destroying his future marriage and leaving him suicidal
Officers searched homes around NSW including in Petersham, Cranebrook, Coffs Harbour, Shoal Bay, Gerroa, Surry Hills, and Stanmore.
Police allege the group were using the phone line to spread and discuss material relating to child sex abuse.
During the various raids, mobile phones, other electronic devices and cannabis were found.
Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty, said the alleged offenders had tried to access some of the material.
‘We will allege that each of the men arrested by detectives over the past month expressed desires to engage in sexual activity with children, and in some cases, attempted to access child abuse material from other users of the service,’ she said.
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