NRL: Lockyer tells of gambling problem

Darren Lockyer. Photo / Getty Images

Broncos great Darren Lockyer has admitted to beating a gambling problem so bad it prompted his concerned parents to ask Wayne Bennett for help.

Lockyer makes the revelation in his self-titled autobiography, which goes on sale on Wednesday, in which he gives his version on a number of controversial issues on and off the field during his 17 seasons with the club.

Lockyer's parents became increasingly worried by their son's betting habits in 1996-97 as they escalated from A$5 to A$500 a race. They telephoned the master coach out of desperation.

As his bets kept increasing and he suffered a run of heavy losses in the thousands of dollars, Lockyer says he was left "just shattered".

"It took a run of outs for me to finally confront the fact that I had a bit of a problem which needed addressing before it spiralled out of control," he writes.

After a particularly bad run of losses, Lockyer went home, turned out all the lights and sat in the dark.

"I ... was just shattered. I was a wreck ... and significantly out of pocket."

Lockyer was a punter before he joined the Broncos. He walked into a betting culture at the club with a number of senior players, including former captain Allan Langer and Wendell Sailor, known to love a bet.

"When I lost, it wrecked my day, sometimes my week, depending on how big a hit I had taken," Lockyer writes.

It was his mother, Sharon, who eventually called Bennett for help.

Lockyer criticises the Broncos for their treatment of Bennett, the way returning prop Petero Civoniceva was allowed leave when he wanted to stay and why, in his opinion, Ivan Henjak, the only coach to be sacked by the club, was not the right man for the job.

He also reveals he has spoken with Queensland coach Mal Meninga about being part of the 2012 Origin campaign to help the Maroons keep winning.

- AAP