<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A former AFL player has made a direct plea to </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/koby-stevens-theft-thieves-steal-a-million-dollars-worth-of-footage-from-eric-bana-and-afl-player/5d6ed7e1-55b8-4799-bf73-ed2d6640018a" rel="" target="_blank" title="thieves who swiped a hard drive with $1 million worth of documentary footage"><span>thieves who swiped a hard drive with $1 million worth of documentary footage</span></a><span> to return it to its rightful owners.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Koby Stevens and Australian Hollywood star Eric Bana had been working on the upcoming footy documentary for five years when Stevens' car was broken into in St Kilda.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The "brazen" thieves stole camera gear and a hard drive containing hours of interviews for the project.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/prime-minister-anthony-albanese-in-china-updates/82c02eb0-147f-4ef2-b96b-8754cde5081d" target="_blank" title="'Tough' talks looming for Anthony Albanese and President Xi Jinping"><strong><span>'Tough' talks looming for Anthony Albanese and President Xi Jinping</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's kind of sickening. You know, we never usually travel with that sort of gear," Stevens told </span><em><span>Today </span></em><span>this morning.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"And it just happens to be that it was in my car for a bit and I was packing, unloading."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Luckily for Stevens and Bana, the documentary footage was backed up and all is not lost.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/eric-bana-koby-stevens-documentary-footage-stolen-former-afl-player-makes-plea/eed4a36b-def7-4ae9-87aa-07484a8ff89b" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But the ex-AFL great said he still didn't want the hours of unaired footage to be in the wrong hands.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's more about that there's something out in the world that no one's seen," he continued.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/trump-announces-30-tariffs-against-eu-mexico-to-begin-aug-1-rattling-major-us-trading-partners/e4dfbf95-fa37-4d42-964c-3a6e2e79ed17" target="_blank" title="Trump 'blows up rules' and hands down new tariffs"><strong><span>Trump 'blows up rules' and hands down new tariffs</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"For me, as someone who's been creating and running that project with a big team who have had my back the whole way, it's about protecting that."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Stevens said he hoped the offenders would realise the sentimentality of the hard drive's contents.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He pleaded for the thieves to return it, even anonymously.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/wantirna-south-second-person-dies-after-pedestrians-struck-by-car/a81ab8c6-eeb1-4a2c-ae80-309454915bd9" target="_blank" title="Second person dies after car hits pedestrians at Melbourne playground"><strong><span>Second person dies after car hits pedestrians at Melbourne playground</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If they have it, just drop it off. There's not much you can do with it," he added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"People know now what it is. So that's the message</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Look, you can have my camera equipment for stealing my stuff, but just drop the hard drive off."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The film, </span><em><span>Thrive</span></em><span>, is due to enter post-production at the end of the year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The film's pretty game-changing and on that hard drive was some pretty game-changing stuff," Stevens said yesterday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It's just the sensitive nature of it all, that's now floating around in Melbourne somewhere."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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