NRL star Kurt Gidley tackles home intruder

Newcastle Knights captain Kurt Gidley has used his defending skills to tackle an intruder at his home.

Fairfax Media reports that the NRL veteran heard three people trying to enter his house, in the Newcastle suburb of Merewether, around midnight on Saturday.

After chasing the teenaged intruders, Gidley managed to tackle one of them to the ground while police apprehended the other two offenders.

"When I heard the noises and visibly saw them I wasn't prepared to let them get away," he said.

"I didn't want to lie in bed wondering who they were and what they were doing.

"I only had a pair of shorts on, no shoes or shirt, and it was raining at the time."

Gidley reportedly chased the teens for a few hundred metres before tackling one of them and escorting him to a neighbour's house. He then continued looking for the other two offenders before police found them nearby.

"I caught up with one of them after he'd fallen over and got hold of him," he said.

"The police were great; they were there in 10 minutes or less and another van had already picked up the other two by the time I went looking for them."

Gidley admitted that he had been shaken up by the experience.

"It was a pretty scary moment for my family," he said.

"It's not something you’d want to have happen to anyone who has kids."

The 32-year-old has since received a letter of apology from the teen. A 16-year-old boy has been charged by police in relation to the incident, with further charges expected to be laid.