Former NRL coach and player Warren Ryan leaves Waverley Court on Monday. Credit:Kate Geraghty In a scene reminiscent of any pub on a Friday night, Ryan sipped beer and gestured with his hands as he sat across from his brother, Chris, and Mr Purcell. As the conversation continued, Ryan paused with his glass halfway to his mouth then put it back down. He stood, walked around the table, and punched his acquaintance with a left and right hook, causing Mr Purcell to fall backwards onto the ground. Ryan swung at him for a third time, causing Mr Purcell to kick up his legs. Ryan grabbed his feet, then delivered a kick to Mr Purcell's buttocks before moving away and allowing him to stand up.

Warren Ryan, bottom, can be seen on CCTV punching Edward Purcell at the Maroubra pub. The struggle was over in less than 30 seconds, leaving Mr Purcell wiping blood from his head with a handkerchief. CCTV footage of the fight was played for the court on Monday. Edward Purcell attempts to fight back after falling on the floor of the pub, as Warren Ryan stands over him. Mr Purcell told the court he was having a heated discussion with Ryan about newly elected US President Donald Trump when Ryan became "aggressive" and said he would "deck" him.

"He said, 'You're the dumbest so-and-so I've ever met'. I said, 'Maybe I feel the same about you'," Mr Purcell said. "He said 'I'll deck you right here.' " Mr Purcell said he suggested the men should take it outside, but Ryan "didn't, he came around the table". "He came roaring at me like a bull and said, 'You mongrel', then 'bang'." "I heard a hell of a crack like a hammer hitting a nail, then I staggered back and went down.

"That's virtually where I stayed until Warren backed off." However, Ryan said the argument had been about penalty rates and he had been walking to the toilet in an attempt to defuse the situation when Mr Purcell stood in his way and made a fist with his left hand. "He had his feet planted, and I thought 'hello, it's on here'," Ryan said. "His left hand was on the way up, and I thought it was a punch coming. I beat him to the punch, that's what it boils down to." Ryan's barrister, Bernard Gross, QC, said Mr Purcell had been "eyeballing" Ryan "in an aggressive manner" before the punches were thrown.

Mr Purcell responded: "I was watching what he was going to do, because he said he was going to deck me." "Why wouldn't I be watching him? Do you think I'm big and strong enough to sort him out?" Ryan was convicted and given a 12-month good behaviour bond despite his barrister asking for no conviction to be recorded. "Any violence within the community is a serious matter," the magistrate said. "The public at large look for someone to do something about it. "The CCTV shows it all very clearly. Two strikes by the accused and the victim was on the floor. One would have thought, looking at it objectively, that the threat was out of the way.

"I'm satisfied that the accused formed the opinion he was in some type of threat and had to do something about it, but the response in all circumstances was not reasonable." Ryan is a two-time premiership winning coach who guided five different clubs to finals football. The court heard he is also an experienced media commentator, having worked for Fairfax Media, ABC Grandstand and 2GB over several decades. He was stood down from the ABC in June 2014 pending an investigation into allegations he made a racist remark. He resigned soon after, saying he wanted to "save them the trouble" of an investigation.