Rugby league: Ugly brawl in Brisbane taints beginning of NRL's Magic Round

The ugly brawl took place at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium. Photo / Mark Gottlieb

The opening night of the NRL's highly-anticipated Magic Round has been marred by an ugly brawl that erupted in the stands of Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

On Friday evening, footage emerged of a physical altercation at the northern end of the western stand, with approximately half a dozen men throwing punches and falling over chairs.

The sickening fight lasted about a minute before security and police intervened.

The video quickly circulated social media, with rugby league fans voicing their disgust at the crowd behaviour and lack of security intervention.

A Queensland Police spokesperson confirmed to news.com.au that three people involved in the altercation were evicted by police and handed penalty infringement notices for disorderly conduct on a licensed premises — but there are no active assault complaints.

Another three men were given move-on directions while one person received first aid treatment at the venue, Queensland Police confirmed.

Speaking to the Courier Mail about the incident, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo slammed Queensland rugby league fans and threatened to impose bans.

"There's absolutely no place for violence at our games," he said.

"Aside from the action the authorities may take, we will also ban any fan who engages in violence in the grandstands. It will not be tolerated.

"Magic Round is a celebration of our game, our fans and families. Almost 150,000 fans will attend this weekend and we will speak with the Stadium, who oversees security, to ensure the right measures are in place."

On Friday, the Newcastle Knights secured a 16-6 victory over the struggling Bulldogs to break a frustrating six-game losing streak, while the Brisbane Broncos obliterated Manly 38-0 in a one-sided affair.