Bears Incensed As Rabbitohs Cross Harbour
By DAVID ROWLANDS
NORTH SHORE TIMES - 4/12/2004


The North Sydney rugby league club is incensed and perplexed by the strong possibility of South Sydney relocating to this side of the Harbour.

It was revealed earlier this week that the Rabbitohs were poised to adopt North Sydney Oval as their home ground for 2006 after seeing out the final year of their contract to play at Aussie Stadium next winter.

Souths’ interest in Sydney’s most picturesque sporting arena stems from a successful experiment in August, when they drew nearly 15,000 for a match against Manly at the ground. It was the first NRL game at North Sydney Oval since 1999, when the Bears were last a part of the code’s elite.

Norths understood that Souths might stage the occasional game at the ground over the next few years, but the prospect of a fulltime shift has left them bewildered and disillusioned.

Bears chairman Mike Gibbons went as far as claiming that it’s the “potential death-knell” for the Bears, as it will most likely squeeze them out of their own area. Having had their own shift to the Central Coast plagued by bad luck and rejected by the NRL, it will leave them with nowhere to go, other than to consider playing their home games at Eastwood’s TG Millner Field after next season.

“It’s pretty devastating news — we’re quite stunned by it,” Gibbons told the North Shore Times.

“North Sydney Oval is the one thing we had and now they’ve taken that away from us.”

However, the likelihood of becoming nomads is not even their chief concern at the moment.

As Gibbons says, “there is a bigger picture here”.

“The original reason this club made the decision to move to the Central Coast (in the late 1990s) was because we were told that under the League’s criteria, North Sydney Oval was no longer suitable for top class rugby league,” Gibbons said.

“Now a few years later, we find the rules have changed and it’ll be fine to play there.

“It just smacks of misrepresentation and deceit — the hypocrisy is phenomenal.

“They’ve (the NRL) done a complete back-flip.”

Especially upsetting to the Bears is that Souths’ plans for permanent residency have been orchestrated behind their back, in consultation with North Sydney Council and the NRL.

“A courtesy call from Souths or the Council would’ve been nice,” Gibbons said.
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