1 March, 2016 11:45

IMRAN GASHKORI | Sports Editor | CONTACT

26-year-old Sydney Roosters star, Mitchell Pearce has spoken candidly to the media 24 hours after his return from a rehabilitation centre in Thailand, about how the national past time of getting wasted on Australia Day is not something he should partake in.

In a television interview yesterday morning, the NRL premiership winner recounted the events of the night that lead to him being filmed pretending to root a dog. He also revealed that for the six months leading up to the incident, he was in a bit of bad place due to his piggish behaviour and love of going on benders.

“Hopefully this could be the best thing that has happened because if he didn’t do that I would still be drinking and the season would have just kept getting worse,” Pearce said

The NSW representative also made a vow to his fans that his dog-rooting days were behind him.

“I promise, as long as I am a professional footballer, I will never again attempt to root a dog,”

“Those days are behind me,”

“I repeat. My dog-rooting days are behinds me”

However, with his captaincy stripped from him and a delayed start to the 2016 season, Mitchell Pearce has offered hope to the people who have exploited him for free booze and lucrative iPhone videos.

“To say at 26 I am never going to have a beer again is, I think, ridiculous”