Their suspicions were confirmed when they pulled his car over and, on hearing his slurred speech, breath-tested the 28-year-old.

Not only did the Thurgoona man have alcohol in his system, a later breath analysis test revealed he was getting close to four times the legal limit.

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His reading of 0.180, provided after he was arrested and taken to the Albury police station, has had him plead guilty to driving with a high-range prescribed concentration of alcohol.

Lawyer Mark Cronin opened his defence submission on Rake in Albury Local Court with the acknowledgment that it was his client's driving that brought him to the attention of police on May 22.

Mr Cronin told magistrate Richard Funston that Rake had attended a local football match that afternoon to watch his brothers play.

Rake downed two beers at the game and believed he was fine to drive.

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But he then moved on to the Kinross hotel, where he continued drinking.

"Clearly he shouldn't have driven," Mr Cronin said.

But he did, he said, because Rake did not want to leave his vehicle there overnight with all his work tools inside.

"He concedes it was foolish," Mr Cronin said.

The court was told how police were on patrol in the Thurgoona area when they saw Rake's blue Ford Ranger, towing a trailer, just before 11.30pm.

They saw the vehicle turn right on to Kosciuszko Road from Smiggins Drive.

Police quickly determined he was driving dangerously "due to the fact the vehicle was swerving all over the road".

They followed Rake's ute as he turned right on to Table Top Road, pulling him over about 100 metres from the intersection with Kosciuszko Road.

"The accused," police said, "admitted to having four cans of Bundaberg Rum to drink at the Kinross."

His first drink was at 9pm and his last two hours later.

Rake was convicted and fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for seven months.

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