'He robbed me of my innocence and normal life': Former Wallaby reveals he was 'sexually abused by a Catholic priest' at an elite Sydney boys' school when he was 11 years old

By Daniel Peters
Daily Mail (UK)
March 21, 2017

https://goo.gl/w4IhFY

Former Wallaby prop Tony Daly, now 51, has revealed he was sexually abused by a Catholic brother at Sydney's elite St Joseph's college when he was just 11 years old

Daly (pictured during Rugby World Cup in 1991, which Australia won) represented Australia in 41 test matches - but the horrors of his past tormented him through life after rugby union

The allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of a Marist brother at St Joseph's College (pictured) were aired by Daly during two interviews with the Royal Commission

A former Wallaby star has revealed he was sexually abused by a Catholic brother at an elite Sydney boys' school when he was just 11 years old.

Tony Daly, now 51, represented Australia in 41 test matches as a stocky and gutsy prop - but the horrors of his past tormented him through life after rugby union.

In two interviews with the Royal Commission, Daly detailed the two years of sexual abuse inflicted by a Marist brother while he was a young boy at St Joseph's College.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Daly said he felt 'shame for years' after enduring 'fondling' by the brother.

'This bastard robbed me of my innocence and normal life,' he told the publication.

Since retiring from professional rugby in 1995, Daly has had a tough life.

Allegations of theft led to his deportation from the United States in 2009 while travelling to the Caribbean with former teammates

He has also endured two divorces, ongoing alcohol and drug addiction and a string of thefts and driving offences in recent years.

He told the Daily Telegraph that his horrific experiences as a child had impacted him as an adult.

'The boarding school was the launch pad of what has gone wrong in my life. I've stuffed up two marriages, I was drinking a lot, abusing substances, I've been all over the shop for years.

'People think I'm a macho bloke … I played front-row for Australia for 10 years so I must be cocky, but I have really low self-esteem.

St Joseph's headmaster Ross Tarlinton told the Daily Telegraph it was the first the school had heard of any sexual abuse allegations regarding Mr Daly.

Daly escaped a jail sentence on Tuesday for three counts of theft in 2015 and a number of driving charges - and was instead ordered to undergo 500 hours of community service.