Farina and Champion were recording an episode of Channel Seven’s ‘The Great South-East’ in trendy Park Road when the would-be robber cycled onto the pavement and grabbed the handbag of the show’s producer.

The pair gave chase along with the cameraman and apprehended the alleged offender, but not before more drama ensued.

“We were filming the second part of the show and were just set-dressing when this guy cycled up in front of us,” Farina said.

“He’s then gone between us and the camera and we were looking at each other and thinking how rude that was. Then we saw him reach down and grab the bag that was sitting on another chair and he just took off.”

He added: “It was just an instinctive reaction to go after him but the guy was going flat out so I didn’t think we’d catch him.

"As he reached Railway Terrace though, a truck was making a turn and the bloke just smashed straight into the truck.

“Richard and I pinned him down and waited for the police to arrive. It was quite a drama and not what you expect to happen when you’re filming a TV show – it was surreal!

Farina joked: “I told Richard that he should still be playing after showing such a sharp turn of pace."

Police took witness statements and the alleged offender was driven away to custody.

The attempted robbery follows another incident in Park Road last week when an alleged armed robber was again thwarted by a member of the public.

The Roar boss was also a witness to that incident as he enjoyed lunch at one of his favourite haunts.