Bears fall, but bid for ending NRL hibernation rises
If you know a North Sydney Bears fan there’s a good chance they’ll tell you how their club has been riddled with bad luck.
They will inform you their home oval is cursed, tell you about the missed goals of renowned sharpshooter Daryl Halligan in the 1991 finals, and their premiership drought going on 100 years.
Bears supporters have had their share of pain, yet they still turn up and go through it all again.
On Sunday at Commbank Stadium, for a second straight season, they witnessed their club fall to an agonising NSW Cup grand final defeat.
Newtown pipped the Bears 28-22 when Norths hooker Bronson Garlick knocked the ball on at the base of the scrum with 30 seconds left.
“To me that wasn’t about luck, that was about the fundamentals of the games, and we were messy,” said Bears legend Billy Moore.
But through the agony, better times may be on the horizon.
North Sydney have been in the headlines for the past 12 months as speculation grows that an NRL exile that stretches back close to 25 years is nearing its end.
The Bears are expected to be the preferred partner for a prospective Perth franchise that could enter the NRL as soon as 2027.
“Even if it’s over in Perth, we’d still be supporting just like South Melbourne did in the AFL,” said Allan Beard, who has followed the Bears since 1972 and was accompanied to Sunday’s game by his eight-year-old great niece Sophie.
“I’ve told my wife I’ll be going to that inaugural game when we get back in the NRL, and she has told me I better start saving.”
The Bears and Jets last met in a grand final in 1943, and while they may represent the sport’s past they also have a potential to play a role in its future.
Newtown have carved out a niche as a family-friendly, down-to-earth rugby league offering in Sydney’s trendy Inner West.
The Jets’ partnership with Cronulla has paved the way for a large core of the Sharks’ NRL team to cut their teeth, and the Bears do similar with the Melbourne Storm.
Alongside the Bears’ part-time players, six Storm men laced up in front of a 10,386-strong crowd containing a large contingent of North Sydney supporters.
“You’re always happy to make it to a final because you’ve done the whole year and finished the regular season on top,” said Storm back-rower Joe Chan.
“We lost it ourselves, we didn’t control or play our game, we were trying to do something that didn’t work for us.”
Garlick opened the Bears’ scoring, but his late blunder cost them a final shot at glory.
It extended more pain and misfortune for Norths.
But with a mischievous smile Moore said they could soon be brought to an end.
“Without a doubt, they are coming,” he said.
“I won’t say any more than that, but they are coming.”
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