Footy season is right around the corner – and every year, stories inevitably emerge detailing the antics of players behaving badly.
The NRL season kicks off on Thursday night with an opening round clash between the St George-Illawarra Dragons and the Brisbane Broncos at Jubilee Oval south of Sydney.
Matthew Lodge will make his return to the NRL in the game as part of the Broncos line-up, after spending years ostracised from the league due to a drunken rampage in New York in 2015.
Ahead of the winter season, Daily Mail Australia takes a look back at some of the more notable scandals to hit Australian sport in recent years.
Matthew Lodge (pictured left with a friend) will make his return to the NRL in the game as part of the Broncos line-up, after spending years ostracised from the league due to a drunken rampage in New York in 2015
Brendan Fevola (right) was involved in a number of controversial incidents during his career, including an affair with Lara Bingle, urinating on a Melbourne nightclub and flashing a woman
Bingle sued the footy star alleging he leaked this naked photograph of her
Sydney Roosters star Mitchell Pearce was stood down from the team after footage aired of him simulating sex with a dog during a party on Australia Day 2016.
Pearce can be heard saying ‘I want to f**k your dog, I don’t even care anymore’ in the video of the incident.
He was also filmed urinating on himself and attempting to kiss a woman.
The player was suspended for eight weeks, fined $125,000 and spent a month at a rehabilitation clinic in Thailand.
Todd Carney was banished from the NRL after he was photographed urinating in his own mouth at Cronulla pub Northies in 2014.
Showing Carney performing an act known as ‘bubbling’, the photo was leaked on social media and led to Carney’s contract with the Cronulla Sharks being terminated.
Todd Carney was banished from the NRL after he was photographed urinating in his own mouth at Cronulla pub Northies in 2014
Sydney Roosters star Mitchell Pearce was stood down from the team after footage aired of him simulating sex with a dog during a party on Australia Day 2016
Premiership teammates with North Melbourne and best friends Wayne Carey and Anthony Stevens fell out after it was revealed Carey had an affair with Stevens’ wife Kelli.
Carey and Stevens played together for North Melbourne from 1989 to 2001 before the betrayal was uncovered before the 2002 AFL season.
It was revealed after an encounter between Ms Stevens and Carey at a party attended by North Melbourne players.
Ms Stevens followed Carey into a bathroom to discuss their sordid relationship which started weeks earlier.
West Coast Eagles legend Ben Cousins was released from prison in January, after spending 10 months behind bars for stalking and repeatedly breaching a restraining order taken out by his ex-partner Maylea Tinecheff, with whom he has two young children.
Josh Dugan posted a photo of himself and fellow Canberra Raider Blake Ferguson holding Bacardi Breezers despite being banned from drinking by the club
West Coast Eagles legend Ben Cousins was released from prison in January, after spending 10 months behind bars for stalking and repeatedly breaching a restraining order taken out by his ex-partner
Cousins was involved in a number of bizarre incidents, including leading police on a slow-speed car chase, breaching security at an SAS base, and driving erratically outside a Sikh temple.
His playing career came to a halt after he fled the scene at a breath test in Perth, was arrested after passing out in front of Crown Casino in Melbourne and tested positive for drugs in 2007.
Josh Dugan posted a photo of himself and fellow Canberra Raider Blake Ferguson holding Bacardi Breezers despite being banned from drinking by the club.
Dugan then told a fan to ‘end himself’ in an Instagram comment.
Brendan Fevola was involved in a number of controversial incidents during his career, including an affair with Lara Bingle, urinating on a Melbourne nightclub and flashing a woman.
Bingle eventually sued him over a naked photo he took of her, which was allegedly circulated between players.
His contract with the Brisbane Lions was cancelled after his infamous drunken performance at the Brownlow Medal ceremony.
A naked photo landed George Burgess in hot water, after a selfie of the South Sydney Rabbitohs forward appeared on a gay porn website in 2013.
Naked photos of Collingwood players Travis Cloke (left) and Dane Swan were published in a women’s magazine
Sonny Bill Williams was caught allegedly having sex with ironwoman Candice Falzon at a hotel toilet in 2007.
Video of the apparent act was captured on a mobile phone slipped under the wall of the cubicle.
Matthew Johns was stood down by Channel Nine after it was revealed he took part in a group-sex incident in Christchurch, New Zealand after a pre-season game.
He dismissed claims by the woman involved that it was non-consensual.
At the time the incident was revealed, the woman said: ‘Every time I looked up there would be more and more people in the room and there’s lots of guys in the room watching – maybe two or three were on the bed that were doing stuff to me,’ she said.
Premiership teammates with North Melbourne and best friends Wayne Carey and Anthony Stevens fell out after it was revealed Carey had an affair with Stevens’ wife Kelli
Stevens (left) is pictured pushing Carey after the affair was revealed
His brother Andrew was arrested at a London train station for possessing an ecstasy tablet in 2007. The Newcastle Knights legend revealed that he had taken the drug throughout his glittering career.
Naked photos of Collingwood players Dane Swan and Travis Cloke were published in a women’s magazine.
The selfies were allegedly sent to women who were not the partners of the players.
Another naked photo landed George Burgess in hot water, after a selfie of the South Sydney Rabbitohs forward appeared on a gay porn website in 2013.
Garry Lyon had an affair with his best mate Bill Brownless’ wife Nicky, sending shockwaves through the AFL community
In March 2016, Brownless opened up about the toll the affair has had on his family, saying ‘a good mate wouldn’t do that’
Garry Lyon had an affair with his best mate Bill Brownless’ wife Nicky, sending shockwaves through the AFL community.
In March 2016, Brownless opened up about the toll the affair has had on his family, saying ‘a good mate wouldn’t do that’. He believes the secret relationship could’ve been going on for up to four years.
‘I couldn’t believe it. I found out three or four months ago. I asked Garry and Nicky earlier on what is going on and they said they were just good friends,’ he told the Footy Show.
‘That’s what hurts the most. By law it’s legal. Morally it’s wrong. We all know our rights and wrongs. You don’t touch a man’s wallet, you don’t touch his wife.’
Sydney Roosters star Shaun Kenny-Dowall’s tumultuous relationship with sprinter Jessica Peris was revealed in a torrent of text messages which referenced wild sex, drug use, and show a consistent stream of abuse from the footballer to his then girlfriend.
They were revealed as Kenny-Dowall was found not guilty of domestic violence charges against Peris.
On several occasions Kenny-Dowall accuses Ms Peris of taking drugs while partying with friends and calls her a litany of abusive names during their volatile 14-month live-in relationship.
Throughout the message exchanges, Mr Kenny-Dowall verbally abuses Ms Peris, calling her numerous names including a ‘dumb c***’ and ‘f***head.’
Sydney Roosters star Shaun Kenny-Dowall’s tumultuous relationship with sprinter Jessica Peris was revealed in a torrent of text messages which referenced wild sex and drug use
They were revealed as Kenny-Dowall was found not guilty of domestic violence charges against Peris