Sam Burgess takes stunning swipe at ex-wife Phoebe and her father in bitter court case with the footy star's lawyer claiming one of them leaked private documents to a newspaper in an act of 'malice or retaliation'

Embattled footballer Sam Burgess has hit back at his ex-wife after she accused him of domestic violence in a newspaper article.

Burgess's lawyer Bryan Wrench suggested Phoebe Burgess or her father Mitchell Hooke might have committed contempt of court by co-operating with the media.

Mr Wrench raised his concerns during the mention of an apprehended violence order at Moss Vale Local Court on Wednesday.

He said Phoebe Burgess had made a 50-page statement to police about her ex-husband which had never been seen by him but which appeared in The Australian newspaper.

'To be quite blunt, it appears that this is born out of either malice or retaliation,' Mr Wrench told the court.

Embattled footballer Sam Burgess has hit back at his ex-wife after she accused him of domestic violence in a newspaper article 

Burgess's lawyer Bryan Wrench (pictured at back, with Burgess' mum Julie and brother Luke) suggested in Moss Vale Local Court on Wednesday that Phoebe Burgess or her father Mitchell Hooke might have committed contempt of court by co-operating with the media 

Burgess was hit with an apprehended violence order taken out by police on behalf of Mr Hooke after an alleged confrontation between the pair last October.

He has pleaded not guilty to intimidating his 63-year-old father-in-law, who he is banned from approaching or contacting.

Mr Wrench told the same court last year Mr Hooke had made false allegations against his client, and there had been 'no violence, no intimidation, no threats'.

Burgess denied any wrongdoing. 'He wishes to fight this matter,' Mr Wrench said. 

Police were called to the Hooke family home at Glenquarry, just outside Bowral, on October 19 following an 'incident'.

It is alleged Burgess was at the property for an arranged visit with his two children who had been staying there with their 30-year-old mother.

Mr Hooke reportedly asked the dual code international to leave the property, which Burgess did, but police were called about 5pm.

A subsequent interim AVO taken out against Burgess banned him from going within 1km of the property or contacting Mr Hooke.

Mr Wrench told the court in December there had been no further 'incidents' since October 19.

Mitch Hooke ran the Minerals Council of Australia where he led the charge against prime minister Kevin Rudd's failed mining tax. He is pictured with daughters Phoebe and Harriet. Mr Hooke was made a member of the Order of Australia in 2016

Burgess was hit with an apprehended violence order taken out by police on behalf of his father-in law Mitch Hooke after an alleged confrontation between the pair last October. Mr Hooke is pictured with his daughter Phoebe

'We do not want to contact the complainant,' he said. 'We have not done so since the day of the incident.'

Mr Wrench told the court Burgess 'understood his obligations' under the order.

'He does not wish to make contact with the complainant, especially when he's made false allegations about what has occurred on this day,' Mr Wrench said.

Claims of Burgess's allegedly excessive partying and accusations about his conduct towards Phoebe were made in The Australian newspaper last week. 

Burgess's media lawyer Mark O'Brien has said: 'The allegations are false and constitute an indefensible defamation against my client.'

'It is apparent sources of the false allegations are those currently in dispute with my client over various issues.' 

The NRL's integrity unit has commenced an inquiry into the fresh Burgess allegations and the New South Wales Police Force has formed Strike Force Irrabella to investigate. 

Staff members at Souths have also been accused of ignoring Burgess's alleged indiscretions. 

South Sydney Rabbitohs legend Sam and his ex-wife Phoebe Burgess are pictured together. Bombshell allegations have been made in a newspaper article about his alleged excessive partying habits and behaviour towards Phoebe

The Hooke family has closed ranks around Phoebe since she split with her husband. The Hooke women are pictured left to right: mother Sarah, and sisters Harriet, Jemima and Phoebe with father Mitch at the back

Among the major allegations were claims about an incident inside the Burgess home at Maroubra, in Sydney's east, in November 2018 when the father-of-two was behaving erratically.

A former teammate of Burgess will be questioned by police over Zoom this week from the UK, where he is playing in the English Super League.

Jason Clark was the person Phoebe Burgess turned to during the 2018 incident with Sam at their home, The Australian reported. 

Evidence Clark gives to police could form a key part of the investigation into Burgess and South Sydney, as well as the team's medical staff. 

Clark had attended the couple's house along with Burgess' mother Julie, who had brought Sam and older brother Luke home from a city hotel. 

Mr Hooke and his wife Sarah were also reportedly at the house.

Detectives have already interviewed Phoebe and visited several relevant locations, including an underground car park where Burgess allegedly received medical treatment.

A pharmacy linked to the club's doctor Andrew McDonald has also reportedly been visited by police. 

Souths co-owner, Hollywood star Russell Crowe, could be called to give evidence before the NRL inquiry. 

A close friend told The Daily Telegraph that Burgess was particularly upset about the allegations regarding his marriage to ex-wife Phoebe Burgess. The former couple is pictured together at a David Jones event in Sydney on February 7, 2018

Since his retirement in October 2019, Burgess has been a coach at former club South Sydney Rabbitohs. He has now stood down from that role

Burgess has been holed-up at his home in Coogee, in Sydney's east, since the allegations were published.

He stood down from his off-field coaching role with the club and commentary role with Fox League has been left 'devastated' by the accusations against him, a close friend told The Daily Telegraph. 

'He is angry and feels like he doesn't have a voice,' the friend said.  

'The allegations something that is abhorrent to him, which makes it all the more harder to stomach.' 

Souths CEO Blake Solly has said he knew nothing of the allegations made by The Australian until being contacted by journalists. 

On Sunday morning, club coach Wayne Bennett also said he had only just become aware of the allegations.

The Burgess family gathered for crisis talks in Sydney over the weekend after bombshell allegations about Sam's marriage and wild lifestyle were published in a newspaper report. Burgess's mother Julie is pictured leaving the discussions followed by Burgess's lawyer Bryan Wrench

Sam Burgess' mum Julie reportedly had to drag the NRL star home following one partying incident in Sydney's CBD in 2018

'I've been here since 2018 and I knew nothing about it until I'd been told in the last 24 hours,' Bennett said.

'I have never had a player or any staff member talk to me about it in any shape or form.

'They are allegations. When we get all the facts together and see this at the end of the day, we will take another position on it and make another statement.' 

Ms Burgess remains with her family in Bowral, caring for the two young children she shares with Burgess. 

Her manager Sharon Finnigan said: 'Phoebe is trying to get by and manage and care for her two children… She is doing her best as a single mother.' 

Meanwhile in Coogee, Burgess's mother Julie and brother Luke met with the former NRL star on Saturday. They were joined by Mr Wrench. 

Serious allegations about Sam Burgess' marriage and wild lifestyle were published in a newspaper report. He is pictured with ex-wife Phoebe  

In the wake of the initial article in The Australian, more bombshell claims about Burgess have come to light.

They included Julie Burgess  being required to pull Sam and Luke away from a swanky Sydney hotel where they were staying before the incident at Maroubra house.

Sam and Luke had been partying at The Establishment, in Sydney's central business district, on November 5, 2018, after a farewell barbeque for then teammate Clark.

Phoebe was pregnant and at home while her husband reportedly celebrated over the course of the day. 

According to a report in the Telegraph, Phoebe called Mrs Burgess and asked her to find her husband. 

Phoebe's father Mitch and mother Sarah are pictured with her 20-month-old son Billy. The couple lives in the New South Wales Southern Highlands

Mrs Burgess asked Establishment staff for the number of her sons' room and was eventually able to convince them to leave, the report claimed.

'Julie virtually had to drag Sam and Luke to her car by their ears, but somehow she got them out of that room and into her car,' a source claimed.  

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said the league had launched an investigation into the claims against Burgess but they would not take action based only on allegations.

'The action we have taken is to initiate the investigation,' he said on Friday.

'Because these are allegations, we don't have the facts before us, we're not going to be taking any further action until we have the information needed to do that.

'However, I believe that Sam Burgess has stood himself down from South Sydney Rabbitohs duties this weekend.

'And I also believe that he has stood down from Fox Sports as well.' 

Mr Abdo said the claims against Burgess were 'very serious allegations'. 

'We will look to work with the club to find out what happened and to get to the bottom of the facts. 

'We will also cooperate with the NSW Police, who have also begun an investigation into the matter.

'If these allegations are proven, we will take the strongest possible action that we can.' 

The Burgesses married at Phoebe's parents home in December 2015 and separated in December 2018, weeks after the birth of their son Billy.

The couple had rekindled their relationship by April 2019 but split again last October.

Their divorce was finalised in April. They also have an older daughter, Poppy. 

Burgess was medically retired last October after a spate of injuries, but stayed at the Rabbitohs where he has been working as a development coach with the squad.

He will next face court in November for a hearing over the domestic violence charge and AVO. 

Souths co-owner, Hollywood star Russell Crowe, could be called to give evidence before the NRL inquiry. Burgess has been holed-up at his home in Coogee, in Sydney's east, since the allegations were published. Crowe is pictured with Burgess after Souths' 2014 grand final win