Wayne Carey reveals what he said to Anthony Stevens to kick off clash with teammate he betrayed

North Melbourne premiership legend Wayne Carey has pinpointed what prompted his pub clash with Anthony Stevens on Saturday as the bad blood between the pair boiled to the surface decades after he betrayed his ex-teammate in one of the AFL’s most infamous incidents.

Carey’s fling with Stevens’ ex Kelli became the biggest sex scandal in Australian sports history when they were caught together in a toilet at a house party in 2002, leading to the two-time premiership captain leaving the club in disgrace. 

The pair were at Yarraville’s Railway Hotel in inner-city Melbourne for a 1996 premiership reunion on Saturday night when they had a heated altercation.

The Kangaroos premiership winner (second from right during the reunion of the club’s 1996 flag-winning team on Sunday) is adamant that reports the confrontation almost got physical are way off the mark

Carey has denied reports they had to be physically separated after their row left Kangaroos teammates ‘stunned’, but has now come clean on what led to the stoush.

‘I wanted to have a conversation with Stevo, I was worried about him,’ he said on Triple M radio on Wednesday.

‘I said “I am worried about you” and … he obviously took a little bit of umbrage to me saying I was worried about him.

‘I said I want him to look after himself like people want me to look after myself.

‘Now, he took a little bit of umbrage to that, but to say that it was a massive altercation or came to blows, and then we left there and everyone was upset with everyone and it was a big thing, is totally incorrect.’

Stevens (left, clashing with Carey in 2002 after he joined the Adelaide Crows) didn’t attend the reunion on Sunday – with Carey hinting he was absent because he was too hungover

Carey (pictured with his son at the reunion on Sunday at Marvel Stadium) claims he and Stevens drank together after their ‘firm conversation’ – but reports claim it was actually a heated confrontation that almost got physical

Calling what followed his remarks a ‘firm conversation’, the player once known as ‘The King’ also claimed he and Stevens drank together afterwards and left the venue together.

Stevens didn’t join his former teammates as they celebrated their 1996 premiership win with a motorcade at the Kangaroos game against the Swans the following day, despite being one of the organisers of the event in his role as a North board member and head of the team’s past player association.

It was reported he boycotted the get together after being ‘shattered’ by the heated exchange.

However, Carey hinted that his ex-mate didn’t attend because he was too hungover from the night before.

‘Stevo wasn’t well,’ he claimed.

‘He had a reasonable night, it would be fair to say, we all had a reasonable day, Stevo maybe bigger than the others, so he didn’t attend the Sunday.’

Carey’s fling with Stevens’ wife Kelli (pictured together) became the biggest sex scandal in AFL history when it was uncovered in 2002

The player once known as ‘The King’ (centre, with Anthony Stevens left, fellow North legend Glenn Archer right) took well over a decade to apologise for his betrayal

Carey’s affair with Kelli emerged in 2002, after an encounter at party hosted by club champion Glenn Archer attended by Kangaroos players.

Kelli followed Carey into a bathroom to discuss their sordid relationship, which started weeks earlier.

Stevens and Carey played together for North Melbourne from 1989 to 2001 before the betrayal was uncovered.

After leaving the club in disgrace, Carey joined the Adelaide Crows in 2003, and took the field against his former teammates in an fiery clash that saw him come face-to-face with Stevens.

In a twist, Stevens was named captain of the club following Carey’s departure.

In an interview with veteran journalist Mike Sheahan on Fox Footy in 2015, Stevens said he told his ex-teammate to ‘stick it’ at the time, but was also disappointed in Carey’s behaviour following the betrayal.

‘It’s the one thing he has never done,’ Stevens said, when asked by Sheahan if Carey has apologised.

‘He has never actually gone out of his way to say sorry – for whatever reason.’