Former NRL star Brett Finch has been charged with the alleged transmission of child abuse material.
On Tuesday, Finch was arrested and charged with five counts of using a carriage service to transmit, publish or promote child abuse material.
The 40-year-old is one of eight men arrested related to the investigation. He was granted conditional bail and will appear in a Sydney court on January 11.
The task force also seized mobile phones and illegal drugs during their raids.
"We will allege that each of the men arrested by detectives over the past month expressed desires to engage in sexual activity with children and, in some cases, attempted to access child abuse material from other users of the service," Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty has told The Daily Telegraph.
"Producing, disseminating or possessing child abuse material are serious offences, and detectives will continue to dismantle these types of operations, so children are free from harmful situations, exploitation and abuse."
According to the Telegraph, Police traced seized electronic devices back to an illicit online chatroom, where Finch and his co-accused had allegedly committed offences.
Finch made more than 300 NRL appearances in a professional career that spanned 14 years, including more than 50 games apiece with Sydney Roosters, Parramatta Eels and Melbourne Storm.
He also represented New South Wales at State-of-Origin level, playing three games for the Blues between 2004-06.
After his playing career finished in 2014, Finch worked as analyst and sideline commentator for Australia's Channel Nine.
Last week, Finch revealed his struggles with mental health issues and drug addiction, which saw him spend in a rehabilitation centre.
