North Sydney Bears NSW Cup coach Pat Weisner to defend betting allegations after being hit with breach notice

North Sydney Bears NSW Cup coach Pat Weisner will have to wait to learn his fate after allegations he placed an illegal bet on rugby league games.

North Sydney Bears NSW Cup Coach Pat Weisner. Picture: Facebook

A hearing into allegations that North Sydney Bears coach Pat Weisner placed an illegal bet on rugby league matches was adjourned for another fortnight.

Weisner was issued a breach notice for allegedly attempting to place one bet covering several matches in breach of strict NRL and NSWRL code of conduct rules.

He was due to front a NSWRL code of conduct hearing on Wednesday night before both parties sought more information to “clarify” the matter.

“The hearing was adjourned for a period of 14 days. There is some further information that will assist in the clarification of the issues,” said NSWRL CEO David Trodden.

“To that end, both parties consented to the matter being adjourned.”

Weisner is facing allegations he placed a multi bet on games which included legs on NRLW and NSW Cup matches.

He will formally plead not guilty.

It is alleged Weisner attempted to bet on the Souths versus Canberra and Roosters versus Blacktown NSW Cup games.

The NSWRL code of conduct precludes registered participants in the game from gambling on rugby league games.

North Sydney Bears NSW Cup Coach Pat Weisner will fight the betting allegations. Picture: Facebook

Representing Weisner is leading Sydney lawyer Paul McGirr, who addressed the allegations on Tuesday prior to the ajournment.

“The matter is defended and listed for hearing on Wednesday,” said McGirr.

“It will be contested and there will be witnesses called. My client wasn’t the person that placed the bet.

“There will be a witness who will attest that he placed the bet from Weisner’s TAB account, without Pat Weisner’s knowledge.

“My client is fully aware of the code of conduct rules in relation to gambling and he did not place any bet on any rugby league games.

“That’s all I can say to preserve the integrity of the hearing.”

Pressed on who did place the bet, McGirr said: “There will be evidence called on who actually placed the bet.”

The bet was intercepted and not processed, given Weisner was a registered person on the Tabcorp app.

If found guilty, Weisner could be deregistered.

NSWRL judiciary chairman and former magistrate Bob Abood will preside over the matter.

NSWRL CEO David Trodden. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Nikki Short

“A registered person has been issued with a code of conduct breach alleging an attempt to place bets on some Knock-on Effect NSW Cup matches in breach of the NRL code of conduct and the NSWRL code of conduct,” NSWRL chief executive David Trodden said on Tuesday.

“There will be a hearing at our premises on Wednesday night to deal with the matter.”

Under Weisner this season, the Bears have won 14 from 20 games this season and are running outright first on the competition table.

Page three of the NSWRL code of conduct regarding gambling on games is clear.

It reads: “No club, team or person bound by this rule shall participate or be involved in any way, in gambling in relation to a match (whether, in each case, as to its outcome, its course or otherwise) or the progress of a team in the NRL competition, the National Youth competition the NSW Cup competition, the Ron Massey Cup competition, the Sydney Shield Competition the SG Ball competition the Harold Matthews competition, their respective counterpart competitions in the QRL, or any of either the NRL or NSWRL representative matches or Queensland representative matches.”

McGirr reaffirmed: “Pat Weisner didn’t place the bet.”

Originally published as North Sydney Bears NSW Cup coach Pat Weisner to defend betting allegations after being hit with breach notice