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North Sydney Bears coach Pat Weisner has been deregistered after attempting to wager on the outcome of rugby league matches.
Weisner was scheduled to front a New South Wales Rugby League [NSWRL] code of conduct hearing after allegedly placing a “multi” bet, which included legs on NRLW and NSW Cup games, as well as non-league options.
It’s alleged Weisner attempted to place a bet on the outcome of the South Sydney-Canberra and Roosters-Blacktown NSW Cup games, as well as an NRLW market. The attempted wager was intercepted and rejected by Tabcorp.
Weisner had initially opted to push back a scheduled hearing before deciding not to contest the charge, resulting in an indefinite ban. The earliest he can apply for a return is at the start of 2026, meaning the Bears will need to finish what has been a promising premiership campaign to date without him.
“The NSWRL confirms that North Sydney Bears coach Pat Weisner from The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup has been deregistered after electing not to contest a recent Code of Conduct charge,” the NSWRL said in a statement.
“Weisner will not be entitled to apply for re-registration until 1 January 2026.
“The NSWRL will make no further comment.”
I enjoyed my time at the club and I wish them all the best,” Weisner told this masthead. “I’m proud of my record as a coach and I hope I will be back one day.“
Kieran Dempsey has stepped up as head coach in Weisner’s absence.
“We have chosen not to contest to not cause any further unnecessary stress to the North Sydney Bears as they head to the finals, or his family,” Weisner’s lawyer, Paul McGirr said.
The NSWRL code of conduct states that registered participants are precluded from gambling on league matches.
“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,” the code of conduct states.
The North Sydney Bears, a feeder club to the Melbourne Storm, are attempting to return to the top flight via a partnership with a prospective Perth-based franchise. They were sitting three points clear of their rivals at the time this masthead broke news of the Weisner incident, but have now slipped into second behind Canberra on for-and-against.
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Weisner, who spent time in the English Super League before going into coaching, replaced Jason Taylor as Bears coach this season. The 42-year-old had previously made headlines when he claimed, after being sacked as Blacktown Workers coach, that players were given “cash payments in envelopes”, potentially leading to players being improperly taxed or forgoing superannuation entitlements.
The NRL integrity unit interviewed Weisner at the time, but found there was no impropriety.
Weisner was scheduled to front a New South Wales Rugby League [NSWRL] code of conduct hearing after allegedly placing a “multi” bet, which included legs on NRLW and NSW Cup games, as well as non-league options.
It’s alleged Weisner attempted to place a bet on the outcome of the South Sydney-Canberra and Roosters-Blacktown NSW Cup games, as well as an NRLW market. The attempted wager was intercepted and rejected by Tabcorp.
Weisner had initially opted to push back a scheduled hearing before deciding not to contest the charge, resulting in an indefinite ban. The earliest he can apply for a return is at the start of 2026, meaning the Bears will need to finish what has been a promising premiership campaign to date without him.
“The NSWRL confirms that North Sydney Bears coach Pat Weisner from The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup has been deregistered after electing not to contest a recent Code of Conduct charge,” the NSWRL said in a statement.
“Weisner will not be entitled to apply for re-registration until 1 January 2026.
“The NSWRL will make no further comment.”
I enjoyed my time at the club and I wish them all the best,” Weisner told this masthead. “I’m proud of my record as a coach and I hope I will be back one day.“
Kieran Dempsey has stepped up as head coach in Weisner’s absence.
“We have chosen not to contest to not cause any further unnecessary stress to the North Sydney Bears as they head to the finals, or his family,” Weisner’s lawyer, Paul McGirr said.
The NSWRL code of conduct states that registered participants are precluded from gambling on league matches.
“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,” the code of conduct states.
The North Sydney Bears, a feeder club to the Melbourne Storm, are attempting to return to the top flight via a partnership with a prospective Perth-based franchise. They were sitting three points clear of their rivals at the time this masthead broke news of the Weisner incident, but have now slipped into second behind Canberra on for-and-against.
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Weisner, who spent time in the English Super League before going into coaching, replaced Jason Taylor as Bears coach this season. The 42-year-old had previously made headlines when he claimed, after being sacked as Blacktown Workers coach, that players were given “cash payments in envelopes”, potentially leading to players being improperly taxed or forgoing superannuation entitlements.
The NRL integrity unit interviewed Weisner at the time, but found there was no impropriety.
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