Footy star was allegedly busted with cocaine on Mad Monday – and now the NRL is investigating him AND the Penrith Panthers
Daine Laurie and his former club, the Penrith Panthers, are being investigated by the NRL’s Integrity Unit after the 26-year-old was allegedly caught with a bag of cocaine on Mad Monday last year.
The outside back, who moved to the Canberra Raiders during the off-season, had been riding as a passenger in a car on September 29 – a day after the Panthers’ preliminary final defeat by the Brisbane Broncos – when the vehicle was stopped by police.
Officers proceeded to search the vehicle and allegedly found a 0.37g bag of cocaine in the car.
Laurie, who was an unused interchange for that preliminary final, was initially charged with possession of a prohibited drug and was due to face Penrith Local Court on November 10.
However, the charge against him was dropped later that day and the matter was dismissed.
The Daily Telegraph writes that the NRL’s Integrity Unit has launched a probe into why it was not informed about the matter.
Daine Laurie (pictured with partner Tegan Fairleigh) and his former club, the Penrith Panthers, are being investigated by the NRL ’s Integrity Unit after the 26-year-old was allegedly caught with a bag of cocaine on Mad Monday last year
Charges of possessing an illicit substance were dropped against Laurie (right), but the NRL is now investigating why they were not informed about the matter
A spokesperson from the NRL stated that they were ‘working with the Panthers on the matter,’ while the club told the outlet that it had been ‘in discussions over the past few days with the NRL’.
Laurie had been a target for multiple NRL clubs over the off-season, including the Canterbury Bulldogs. But on November 11, the Raiders revealed that the 26-year-old had put pen to paper on a deal that will keep him in Canberra until the 2028 season.
The announcement came a day after the charge was withdrawn in court.
A New South Wales police spokesperson confirmed that they had withdrawn the charges and issued a fine against Laurie ‘following representations by the man’s legal counsel’.
His lawyer, Pat Duffy, explained to the Daily Telegraph that under new legislation introduced by New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, police officers should have issued Laurie with a $400 fine on September 29, and not charged him.
The move was introduced by the NSW Government back in October 2023 in a bid to ‘divert thousands of people away from the Australian court system’ and ease burdens on police and the legal system.
‘I was instructed immediately and raised with police that Mr Laurie should not have been charged,’ Mr Duffy explained to The Daily Telegraph.
‘Police agreed to withdraw the charge. A Criminal Infringement Notice (CIN) was then issued.
A spokesperson from the NRL stated that they were ‘working with the Panthers on the matter,’ while the club told the outlet that it had been ‘in discussions over the past few days with the NRL’
‘It (the charge) was withdrawn at the first instance, at the request of the police, and no adverse finding of wrongdoing was made against Mr Laurie by the court.’
Laurie, who can play fullback or five-eighth, had struggled for game time at the Panthers during the 2025 season, playing behind the likes of Dylan Edwards and Blaize Talagi.
Questions are now rising over whether Laurie will be allowed to play in the Raiders’ season-opener against Manly on March 7.
Laurie has featured in both of Canberra’s recent pre-season matches, starting at stand-off for their 32-6 victory against Melbourne, before playing at fullback during his side’s defeat by Cronulla.
Born in Sydney, the 180cm playmaker joined the Panthers back in 2017 and initially played in their S.G. Ball Cup squad.
He’d go on to make his NRL debut in 2020 before moving to the Wests Tigers at the end of that season.
Laurie spent three years with the Tigers before returning to Penrith ahead of the 2024 season.
