Paul Gallen has opened up on the alleged fight that occurred at a pub on the South Coast of New South Wales over the weekend, telling media that he did not start the altercation.

The former NSW enforcer turned boxer was left bloodied by the incident, and can be seen at the heart of a scuffle with several other men, though he also insisted that he threw no punches.

Gallen was at a venue in Shoalhaven Heads with a media colleague, Mark Levy of 2GB radio, last Friday night with footage later appearing online that appeared to show a fight.

The video is cut into two parts, the first of the altercation and the second of Gallen nursing his injuries, though the ex-international claimed that it did not show the totality of what occurred.

“I was involved in an altercation with patrons at the Shoalhaven Heads Hotel last Friday night,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

“The patrons were unknown to me or the group I was with. The video circulating online does not accurately depict the full set of circumstances which included me being struck first.

“While I did not throw any punches in retaliation I apologise to the owners of the hotel and the other patrons for the incident.”

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, he added: “I didn’t throw a punch. The video doesn’t show the entire situation. I’m more disappointed for putting myself in this situation.”

The Mail reported that the incident began with a dispute over a pool table, with Gallen losing a game and a pool cue being broken.

Gallen can be seen in the video with a bloodied face, while Levy is heard off camera saying “Stop it. Enough, enough. Gal, stop”. The sound of broken glass can also be heard.

The police were not involved in the incident and no injuries have been reported.