A bit of argy-bargy in the Pagewood has made the news, purely due to the involvement of famous 76-year-old rugby league coach Warren Ryan, and his 83-year-old mate.
Ryan is a former Commonwealth Games athlete, and coach of both the Newcastle Knights and Western Suburbs Magpies to NRL premierships.
While drinking at his local in Maroubra, Ryan got into an argument with a friend, resulting in the friend being struck and falling. The older man refused the offer of an ambulance, but accepted a ride to hospital with a staff member.
Despite implications to the contrary in mainstream media, the Pagewood Hotel was not required* to notify authorities of the minor incident, or even to note it in its register.
“If the victim of the assault didn’t want to make a complaint there is no mandatory reporting under the Liquor Legislation that would require the venue to report the incident,” compliance experts AusComply reported to PubTIC.
The Hotel is confident the correct actions were taken. Sources at the pub apparently told the Daily Telegraph Ryan has been barred for a period, and that “they were mates and always enjoyed a beer together”.
PubTIC contacted Paul Irvin Hotels CEO Joe Irvin, who declined to comment any further.
*NSW venues not in the Sydney CBD or Kings Cross precincts that do not trade past midnight are not required by law to keep an incident register.
Warren Ryan speaks on a Melbourne Storm penalty, in April, 2010.