We need to clear out all cheats

And with the Betfred World Championship looming, the former champion has also called for cheating he says is creeping into snooker at a lower level to be stamped out.

Melbourne-born Robertson was left devastated by the recent ball-tampering scandal in cricket. Also an Aussie Rules fanatic, he admitted to feeling embarrassed even talking about it.

“It was a moment that made your heart sink as a proud, sport-loving Aussie, and the fallout made it worse,” he said.

“This went way over pushing the boundaries. It’s one thing using sweets, but sandpapering the ball and then the lying was in a different league. I don’t know how they thought they would get away with it.

“The whole nation embarrassed because it blatant cheating.”

Robertson, 36, rejuvenated on the table since the new year, sees two positive things he can do in his own sport: add to the world title he won in 2010 and play a lead role in combating an etiquette issue among rookie was was players. “If I could win a second world title for myself and Australia, and do it clean and fair, and be a good ambassador, that is all I can do,” he said.

“All Australian sports people will want to go that extra mile to show we try to win in the fairest spirit of the game.

“I have always tried to play the right way, and for the most part the etiquette in snooker is very good. So when there are breaches, and there are, it stands out. There is an etiquette issue currently with some of the younger players down the rankings, especially off TV on the outside tables.

“You see stuff that is cheating, no question, and it needs to be sorted out. The biggest thing is moving on the shot by an opponent. That can be fiddling around with water bottles, moving their cloth around.

“A rule was brought in to have black cloths because one player was waving his white one around like a flag. You don’t see it so much with top players or on TV tables – they know they can’t get away with it. But a lot of top players have seen it and voiced their concern.

“There was one player, no longer on the tour, who had ball polish already put on his towel, and he cleaned the white a lot with it. That created a different effect on the white.

“So that has been there before in snooker, a form of ball-tampering. And if you got caught doing that you would get at least a short ban.”