Australian Football League star Stephen Milne.
The football player was charged after a police integrity unit recommended a review of the original investigation into an incident in 2004.
Victoria state police issued a statement on Tuesday saying "it is a matter of regret that this review found the initial investigation to have been substantially inadequate."
While police did not name Milne, his Australian Football League (AFL) club St Kilda confirmed he was the subject of the charge.
"The club acknowledges that any reopening of the matter will cause distress for all parties," the club statement said. "The club is gathering details of this reinvestigation and intends to make further comment tomorrow."
The Australian Broadcasting Corperation said police allege a 19-year-old woman was raped in a bedroom at a home belonging to one of Milne's teammates.
Both men denied the allegations in the past, and the public prosecutor initially decided not to lay charges due to insufficient evidence.
The 33-year-old Milne has played 268 games for St Kilda.
The AFL, which has the power to ban players for bringing the game into disrepute, said it was seeking information from the club about the charges. – Sapa-AP