NRL star Brandon Smith faces court over charges of drugs, insider tips

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South Sydney hooker Brandon Smith has fronted a Queensland court over allegations he supplied dangerous drugs and also disclosed inside information for illegal betting.

The 29-year-old did not comment to waiting media on Thursday morning as he appeared at the Southport Magistrates Court on the Gold Coast.

South Sydney Rabbitohs player Brandon Smith arriving at Southport Magistrates Court on the Gold Coast to fight drug and betting charges.

Smith was expected to fight the charges, with lawyer Adam Moschella, representing Smith, telling the court the matter was contested.

His alleged offending related to a golfing weekend with NRL players on the Sunshine Coast in June.

This week, this masthead revealed text messages involving Sydney Roosters star Victor Radley, that would be used in the prosecution case against Smith.

He is alleged to have supplied his former teammate with a contact for an alleged drug dealer while Radley was away on the weekend with six other Roosters players on the Sunshine Coast.

Radley is not accused of any wrongdoing.

The texts include messages from Radley to Smith referring to a “short 8 ball”, which is slang for an eighth of an ounce of powdered drugs – 3.5 grams.

At the time, Smith was not in Queensland jurisdiction, but police would allege he had full knowledge of the offences he procured to occur within Queensland, and therefore was liable.

Magistrate Deborah Mitchell granted Smith bail on usual conditions, and he was also not to contact two people, including Radley.