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Former NRL player Brett Finch is among eight men in NSW accused of being involved in a telephone chat line where they allegedly discussed sexually abusing children and swapped material depicting abuse.

Finch is understood to be the 40-year-old man arrested on Tuesday at a Sans Souci home in Sydney’s south, where police also seized a mobile phone.

He was charged with five counts of using a carriage service to transmit or publish or promote child abuse and was granted conditional bail to face Sutherland local court next month.

His arrest came after seven men, aged between 34 and 71, were charged following raids at properties in Surry Hills, Stanmore, Petersham, Cranebrook, Gerroa, Shoal Bay and Coffs Harbour over the past month.

Investigators from the child exploitation internet unit established strike force Hank earlier this year after learning of a telephone chat service a number of men had been using to allegedly discuss sexually abusing children and distribute child abuse material.

Finch played three State of Origin matches for NSW in an NRL career that included three grand finals, and he won a premiership with Melbourne in 2009.