Prominent rugby league personalities who have publicly backed the club include Phil Gould, Andrew Johns and Peter Sterling while support has also come from as high up as Federal Treasurer and North Sydney MP Joe Hockey. In 2019 the Australian Rugby League Commission cobbled together a white paper of sorts, a plan to prop up under-performing Sydney NRL clubs with revenue that would apparently flow from broadcasters once the club had relocated to a new place where people watch telly. The 2002 season was played under the Northern Eagles name, although effectively the club was the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles by another name. [13] That year they came within one match of the grand final but lost to Canberra. And was a year late, thats all. They didn't win many, these Bears. Steve Menzies played the most games for the club, with 69 caps.[3]. Not in conjunction with any other offer. [58], On 25 September 2019, Australian entrepreneur John Singleton spoke to former NRL player Matthew Johns about a team being placed on the Central Coast. Newcastle, and Andrew Johns, then 19, beat us at home. In 2016, it was reported that there were moves for the Bears to buy the Gold Coast Titans franchise. Penrith (590,000) is about the same. North Sydney Bears. Nobody would win, not even TV. Why subscribe to become a Full Digital Access or Paper Delivery + Full Digital Access Member? JavaScript is disabled. But they would. I trudged in the rain with my Mum, Dad, and four uncles, back to the pub Percys across Miller Street. It would mean joining forces with the North Sydney Bears who have been desperate to get in the NRL since their exit at the end of the 1999 season. the fun and become a member of the community, You can share sports stories, experiences, match reports, You are only entitled to this subscription if and for as long as you hold a valid and active subscription with your Google Account. You must provide an email address to create a Roar account, When using Facebook to create or log in to an account, you need to grant The Roar permission to see your email address, By joining The Roar you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions. There are so many players play up there, so you can get the best kids aspiring to play for the Central Coast". Payment will be charged to your Google Account. Bring Back The Bears! At the end of the day, if they dont like the decision the Bears make, they can take it up with us. And they would dinkum hang from the trees. Fans can also support a team though theyve never set foot in their zone. Dickson will later be joined in a box by Australian comedian Jim Jeffries, an avid Bears man, who once said my big dream in life is that Ill make enough money that Ill buy the Bears back into the NRL. It was a wet, Autumnal day in May 1994. . Perry suggested that the NRL should look at creating a promotion/relegation system similar to other sports around the world. "Never going to happen. It's from that place. Wouldn't be surprised if Uncle Nick has seen the writing on the wall for Manly as a business and is ready to pick off carcass of the Sea Eagles Roosters/Norths absorb Manly, become the Northern Roosters and encompass the eastern and northern beaches all the way to Gosford. To be a part, even if its a minor part, of a northern Sydney nrl club or remain a nswrl leagues club suburban entity? So bring em back, baby, and fill Percys Bar. But as recently as April 2021 the Bears have expressed their intent on eventually returning the brand to the NRL competition. No cancellations during the first 12 months. The news never got better for Bears fans. Oops! But how can you blame Manly for doing the right thing by Manly? Its like when politicians are parachuted into safe seats. These are the ties that bind. Not in conjunction with any other offer. The club was formed at the North Sydney School of Arts in Mount Street on 7 February 1908. But theyd be into, the Northern Sydney Bear people, all six hundred thousand of em, or whatever percentage the NRL could plane off and declare allegiance, and consume the club and love it one way or many. [24] North Sydney finished the 2008 season as NSW Cup minor premiers and were eliminated in the finals in straight sets. With the scores locked at 12-12, Newcastle player Matthew Johns kicked a field goal with 2 minutes to play to make it 13-12. Mergers mean dogs and cats living together in unholy matrimony. Manly's licence is redistributed to a WA or Bris2 franchise. Is it time to dream? And if there were Bears people would invest in the Bears, consume the Bears, love the Bears. In 2019 the Australian Rugby League Commission cobbled together a white paper of sorts, a plan to prop up under-performing Sydney NRL clubs with revenue that would apparently flow from broadcasters once the club had relocated to a new place where people watch telly. L.U. Gee lock up him up it already happened and didn't work, I could be wrong but Im sure if seen a merged club, possibly the Northern Eagles that went well. Florimo then went on to say "I don't see too many other options presenting themselves, The energy and finance that we put into the Central Coast bid really didn't come to fruition so we're going hard to the plate on this". Now he reveals his thoughts on a proposed Western Australia-Bears joint venture, writes Phil Rothfield. [40], There is a movement for a return to first-grade Rugby League for the club, with the North Sydney Bears moving to Gosford (on the Central Coast, New South Wales) and becoming the Central Coast Bears. Whos fearful? [16], In the 1997 season North Sydney again made the preliminary final against Newcastle at the Sydney Football Stadium. Interim Eels boss Max Donnelly could well be presiding over the Parramatta Bears had he not blocked a push to merge the Eels with foundation club North Sydney. Thats a lotta eyeballs. Article proves that ice is a scourge on Australian lives. Problem with NRL is too many clubs in Sydney yet far too many grounds to watch teams ( remember the 2 team West Tigers playing out of 4 venues 10 years ago doesn't help) and the f**kin Roosters should f**k off to CC and Crowe should move SS back to Eastern Seabed but hey you are still strong as English Rugby League is f**ked I think. Sign up successfully. I had a yarn once with an academic, Hunter Fujak, of University Technology Sydney. Yes, yes, yes adding a team in Sydney would appear to fly in the face of the theres too many teams in Sydney argument. If thats the marker, then the ARLC suited bean-counters should do this. The club initially struggled to obtain access to North Sydney Oval, but council obstruction was removed and the Shoremen played their first real home game in 1910. Exhibit A: The Northern Eagles. "If Souths dont agree with what were doing and decide its not in our interest, we will look at the other avenues we have to ensure we have a competitive ISP side. [citation needed], They were nearly dropped from the competition during World War I due to dwindling spectator numbers. Any Questions? And if you brought back the North Sydney Bears to represent these 600,000 people in the northern suburbs of Sydney - and the 400,000 people of the Central Coast - it would be an instant and irrevocable success. And Dr Fujaks research tells us this: Canterbury has 440,000 people in their catchment. But it looks like Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter Vlandys disagrees. Northern Eagles Rugby League Football Club, Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 01:10, "Manly Sea Eagles and North Sydney Bears must merge into a 'behemoth' club, says Brad Fittler", "Why the demise of the North Sydney Bears has Sydney Roosters officials worried", Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northern_Eagles&oldid=1142006992, 4 matches, 25 August 2001 30 March 2002, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 01:10. Prices after the introductory pricing period may be varied as per full Terms and Conditions. Norths & Easts. two very financially strong leagues clubs together. Bears are now officially the feeder club for the Roosters for the next 5 years starting 2019. Taylor ended up missing the goal. On October 27, 2021, the Bears revealed their intention to return to the NRL, coinciding with a new logo. The team shared home games between Brookvale Oval and Central Coast Stadium, Gosford, New South Wales. Fish where the fish are, is something my old man would say and he didnt even like fishing. See: The Northern Eagles. The North Sydney Bears is an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. However! See www.dailytelegraph.com.au/subscriptionterms for full details. "On the way in I saw a couple of flying pigs, and then I checked my diary to see if it was April Fools Day," Zorba said in May. North Sydney chairman Perry Lopez said of the deal "We are the North Sydney Bears, were not South Sydney," The decision is based on whats best for our club. However, poor on-field performances and factional fighting led to the collapse of the Northern Eagles in 2002, after only three years. It made sense to relocate one of the Sydney teams to the Central Coast". At the end of the day, we are the North Sydney Bears and well look to not just have a competitive side but a winning side. [49] The General Manager of Norths and most capped player of the club Greg Florimo said at the time of North Sydney's first public interest in purchasing The Gold Coast licence as "the last chance". Perry went on to say "You need 12 and 12, so 24 key markets, and stricter criteria about those clubs around their funding model which means all of the 24 may not fit the top tier criteria, it may only be 16-18 franchises that make the cut, their catchment areas, their population, and their commercial growth, because currently I believe a lot of clubs havent been accountable as much as they should have. The Roosters 200,000. And lo did journos On The Pulse and in encrypted WhatsApp chats spread the love about the arcane and business-like practices the Commission was mooting to shift a Sydney club out of town, to ensure viability and profitability, to uphold the greater good, or whatever reason they might use to shift a team in a Ken-Cowley-taking-Super-League-to-the-massive-untapped-markets-of-New-York-Johannesburg-and-Hong-Kong kind of way. Id have thought the former would be a more preferential choice. If the NRL wants to expand it should look inside itself: And bring back the North Sydney Bears. They defeated the Newcastle Knights 32-28 in the first week of the finals, and were then eliminated by minor premiers and eventual NSW Cup premiers the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the preliminary final, who recorded a convincing 38-6 win. Too right. Cheaper and easier than focus groups. Norths were knocked out of the finals series that year in consecutive games, first losing to Manly and then to Eastern Suburbs. Relocation disenchants and disenfranchise existing fans, while new ones get a sort of half-arsed mob from somewhere else. Its from that place. A great brand and a new supporter base.. Please check your email to receive the magic link. Full Digital Access + Weekend Paper Delivery $8 billed every 4 weeks for the first 12 weeks, then $36 billed every 4 weeks. Brad Fittler calls for Manly to merge with North Sydney Bears to make 'behemoth' club. But moot it they did, these people in suits, because television told them. There have been on-going bids to resurrect the club in the NRL as either The Bears, based in Perth and Sydney, or as the Central Coast Bears, based at Gosford.[1]. Due to dwindling spectator numbers the world were eliminated in the 1997 season North Sydney, South... 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