Carlton football player Derksen loses licence for 12 months for drink driving

Carlton Football Club defender Wade Derksen has been fined $873 after being caught driving with a blood alcohol content three times the legal limit earlier this year.

The 25-year-old did not appear in person at the Darwin Local Court today however he pleaded guilty to a single count of high-range drink driving via telephone.

It follows a breakout year for the Northern Territory-born player, who played 15 games for the Blues during the 2026 season.

"It was a remarkable achievement for a young Territorian," Derksen's lawyer Duncan McConnel SC told the court, also describing his client as a "hardworking, committed and determined individual".

The court heard Derksen was driving along the Arnhem Highway south-east of Darwin in September after a day of drinking and fishing with friends in Kakadu National Park.

The father-of-three was stopped by police for a random roadside breath test, where he blew a blood alcohol reading of 0.174.

Mr McConnel told the court his client "doesn't normally drink" during the football season but he had returned home to spend time with family and friends following the end of the 2026 season.

"He says he seriously underestimated both the impact of what he was drinking, the rate he was drinking and the fact that he was out in the sun," Mr McConnel said.

Mr McConnel told the court Derksen's rookie contract included a salary of $95,000 plus match payments.

He said his salary had been increased following his performance during the season, however he would suffer a financial penalty of at least $12,000 after the club imposed a three-match suspension following the September incident.

"He realises his stupidity, he realises he's let a lot of people down including his family, his manager and his club," Mr McConnel said.

The prosecutor, Georgia Cooper, told the court Derksen's penalty should reflect the risks of driving intoxicated, especially on NT roads, where the rate of fatalities are the highest in Australia.

"We have some of the most dangerous roads in the country and therefore … any sanction the court imposes should speak to that," she said.

Darwin Local Court judge Therese Austin imposed a conviction, issued the $873 fine and suspended Derksen from driving for 12 months.