Freeman Happy With The Bears’ Minimum
By DAVID ROWLANDS
NORTH SHORE TIMES - 22/10/2004


New Bears coach Gary Free man has declared the club’s financial plight doesn’t bother him and he would have taken on the job even if they were not a feeder club for NRL club, Melbourne Storm.

The former New Zealand Test player signed on as Norths’ new Premier League coach last week, just as the partnership with Melbourne was confirmed.

He is aware the Bears’ budget has been slashed in half to $350,000 for next season, but has vowed to succeed anyway,

“I’m not going to sit around and start crying over it, that’s not what I’m about,” said Free man, who is known as “Whiz”.

“We all know about the funding, but we’re just going to roll the sleeves up and get on with life and make the best of the resources we have.

Freeman is billing Norths as the land of opportunity for both footballers and himself.

“Players aren’t going to sign up for a lot of money, that’s for sure, but they’re going to get a good opportunity to make a name for themselves,” he said.

“The Melbourne deal will give kids who play for Norths a path to the NIRL that they haven’t had for years. That’s a big bonus.”

For the gregarious 42-year- old, the Norths deal is another step along a difficult path that started with the pain of back-to- back grand final defeats with Balmain, in 1988 and 1989.

He was released by the Tigers two years later, was snapped up by Easts and won the Daily M Award, but was axed by the Roosters in the middle of the 1993 season when it was revealed he had signed with then- Super League club Penrith.

He finished his career with a brief stint at Parramatta, in 1996, then moved into commentary with Fox Sports.

The urge to coach inspired him to lead the New Zealand Test team in 2001. He was sacked after two years in the job.

Since then, he has led Parramatta representative teams and inter-district teams in that area.

“I’ve always wanted an opportunity to coach in the NRL, so this is a stepping stone to go further,” he said.

“I’ve got to establish myself as much as the players have.”

Freeman shied away from making a prediction for next year, but said he would do everything he could to make the year successful.

He has assembled a solid support crew. Former first graders Willie Leyshon and Michael Nell will be his assist ants, while former coach Gary Larson will be strength coach.

Then there’s the help they’ll get from Melbourne. Freeman believes the NIRL club will supply the Bears with about three or four players each week when they aren’t required in the Storm’s 17-man NRL squad.

“I’ve spoken at length with [Storm coach] Craig Bellamy and he’s 100 per cent behind the Bears, which is fantastic to know,” Freeman said.

“Who wouldn’t want to work with someone like him?”

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