West Coast Eagles star Liam Ryan cleared over Fremantle brawl

The AFL has closed its investigation into a brawl involving West Coast Eagles star Liam Ryan, finding the premiership player and his friends were the victims of an attack which led to the fight, which was filmed and posted online last month.

Ryan and an unidentified man were filmed scuffling on the streets of Fremantle in front of a group of onlookers following the Juicy Fest music festival at Fremantle Oval on January 15.

Liam Ryan was trying to de-escalate an incident when he was drawn into a brawl last month, the AFL said.Credit: Getty Images

At the time, the Eagles stood by Ryan, noting he and his partner were safe, and he continued with pre-season training while the matter was reported to the AFL’s integrity unit.

In a statement on Monday, the AFL announced Ryan had been cleared by police and would face no action from the league after its investigations found he had been trying to de-escalate the incident.

“The AFL Integrity Unit inquiries and investigations by WA Police determined that the altercation occurred after Ryan and his companions were the victims of an attack by a larger group of people whilst leaving the event,” the AFL said.

“WA Police confirmed to the AFL that officers were in the area at the time of the fight and that Ryan was being treated as a witness to an incident where his group was pursued by a larger group, resulting in one of his female companions being assaulted and suffering facial injuries.

“It was determined that Ryan attempted to de-escalate the incident and walk away from the group before being confronted, leading to the fight that was captured on social media.”

The league added that Ryan had not been drinking at the event.

News of the brawl came the day after Ryan was named in the 2025 Indigenous All Stars team to take on the Fremantle Dockers on February 15 at Optus Stadium.

The 28-year-old is one of West Coast’s biggest stars and an important cog in leading the club through its biggest-ever rebuild.

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