MELBOURNE Storm flyer Josh Addo-Carr has opened up about the “worst night of my life” behind bars.

Speaking with former Broncos star Denan Kemp on The Locker Room, Addo-Carr revealed he spent a night in lock-up after first signing up with South Sydney’s junior talent development system.

The try-scoring machine says he endured negligently harmful treatment from NSW police throughout a night he will never forget.

What happened that night has changed his life and defined his NRL career.

“I got in trouble,” he said.

“I got locked up over night. That was probably the worst night of my life. It was after a Souths SG Ball training session down at Maroubra beach.

“I breached my bail and the coppers were there waiting for me. I’ll never forget it. They said, ‘Mate, you have to come with us’. That night it changed my life.”

Addo-Carr, who grew up in Blacktown and Earlwood in Sydney’s west, revealed he was taken into custody after failing to report while on good behaviour bond over a common assault charge as a teenager.

He says the assault charge was a case of “two young boys fighting”.

He was picked up by police on that fateful day to ensure he attended his court date the following day.

It has become the definitive wake-up call that has helped push him to become one of the favourites to become the NRL’s top try-scorer this season.

He says the lesson was learned so well because police were overly callous towards him.

“When I got there it was 1am,” he said of his night behind bars.

“We’d driven from Newtown Police Station to Cobham (Juvenile Justice Centre). I was in the back of a paddy wagon and the coppers were making it hell for me. I was in my Souths gear, a Souths singlet and Souths footy shorts. I think I was in socks, no shoes.

“They turned up the air con in the back and made it hell for me. They were driving that slow. The process of getting into the cell and stripping. It was just everything. It’s hard to explain. Just felt rubbish. It just felt shit. Not free. It just wasn’t the person I am. That was a huge wake-up call.

“I remember in the cell, the showers were in the cell. I was waiting to go to court the next day. The showers were cold. It was freezing. The food they gave me was left overs because I got there at 2am. I didn’t even bother eating it. It was like dirt with water.

“It was the shittest feeling. I just told myself I don’t want to live this way.”

A few days later he was dumped by Souths.

It could easily have been the end of his career.

Luckily, one season playing A-Grade as a 17-year-old with Sydney’s Moore Park in the city’s eastern suburbs helped him get back on track.

From there his manager was able to organise a trial with Cronulla.

After two seasons with the Sharks in the U20s competition, he was head-hunted by Wests Tigers.

He made his NRL debut that same season after coach Jason Taylor gave him his first appearance in first grade — against the Melbourne Storm.

The next year — 2017 — Addo-Carr went on to become a premiership player alongside teammates Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk.

He has still never forgotten that night behind bars — but now he has just as powerful positive memories that overshadow the moment he turned his life around.