--------------------------------------------------------------------
Year Was A Shocker Say Bears
By DAVID ROWLANDS
NORTH SHORE TIMES - 7/1/2005
Mike Gibbons and Greg Florimo ponder the year that was for the Bears. Photo: JOHN APPLEYARD
Understandably and understatedly, their officials and diehard fans felt like Bears with sore heads, well before partaking in any New Year’s revelry, following 12 months of what club president Mike Gibbons called “being bashed from pillar to post”.
The back half of the year was especially cruel, with the only source of joy stemming from the Jersey Flegg (under 20s) team reaching the play-offs. However apart from that, Norths saw:
• Their bid for re-admission to the NRL under the guise of the Central Coast Bears rejected.
• Their budget for 2005 sliced from $650 000 to $350 000 by the North Sydney Leagues club.
• Subsequent appeals to the National, Australian and NSW Rugby Leagues for funding support rejected.
• Their NSWRL Premier League team finish last for the third straight season.
• Josh White defect to bitter rivals Manly just days after agreeing to terms as Gary Larson’s replacement as Premier League coach.
• South Sydney declare its intention to use North Sydney Oval as its home ground from 2006, even though one of the main reasons Norths sought to re-locate to the Central Coast in the late 90s was because the NRL no longer considered the arena up to par for first grade football.
• Businessman John Singleton withdraw his financial support for the Central Coast Bears consortium following the NRL’s no to expansion.
• NRL club Cronulla signed an exclusive deal just before Christmas with the Central Coast junior league that will see talented young players from the region graduate to grade with the Sharks.
“I think it’s fair to say it was a terrible year for the Bears,” Gibbons said.
“For people who say the Super League ‘war’ is over, they only need to have a look at this club and see it’s very clear the people who make the big decisions don’t want us around.
“The treatment we have received not just over the last year but the last five or six has been nothing short of disgusting.’
Yet through the gloom, there are some positive streams of light.
The football club has doubled its membership to nearly 500 and have also attracted encouraging interest from sponsors.
Through their new alliance as a feeder club for the Melbourne Storm and the presence of former Kiwi great Gary Freeman as Premier League coach, Norths believe they will not just discard the wooden spoon but vie strongly for the finals.
“The irony is that it looks like being quite a successful year on the field for us,” Gibbons said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
By DAVID ROWLANDS
NORTH SHORE TIMES - 7/1/2005
Mike Gibbons and Greg Florimo ponder the year that was for the Bears. Photo: JOHN APPLEYARD
Understandably and understatedly, their officials and diehard fans felt like Bears with sore heads, well before partaking in any New Year’s revelry, following 12 months of what club president Mike Gibbons called “being bashed from pillar to post”.
The back half of the year was especially cruel, with the only source of joy stemming from the Jersey Flegg (under 20s) team reaching the play-offs. However apart from that, Norths saw:
• Their bid for re-admission to the NRL under the guise of the Central Coast Bears rejected.
• Their budget for 2005 sliced from $650 000 to $350 000 by the North Sydney Leagues club.
• Subsequent appeals to the National, Australian and NSW Rugby Leagues for funding support rejected.
• Their NSWRL Premier League team finish last for the third straight season.
• Josh White defect to bitter rivals Manly just days after agreeing to terms as Gary Larson’s replacement as Premier League coach.
• South Sydney declare its intention to use North Sydney Oval as its home ground from 2006, even though one of the main reasons Norths sought to re-locate to the Central Coast in the late 90s was because the NRL no longer considered the arena up to par for first grade football.
• Businessman John Singleton withdraw his financial support for the Central Coast Bears consortium following the NRL’s no to expansion.
• NRL club Cronulla signed an exclusive deal just before Christmas with the Central Coast junior league that will see talented young players from the region graduate to grade with the Sharks.
“I think it’s fair to say it was a terrible year for the Bears,” Gibbons said.
“For people who say the Super League ‘war’ is over, they only need to have a look at this club and see it’s very clear the people who make the big decisions don’t want us around.
“The treatment we have received not just over the last year but the last five or six has been nothing short of disgusting.’
Yet through the gloom, there are some positive streams of light.
The football club has doubled its membership to nearly 500 and have also attracted encouraging interest from sponsors.
Through their new alliance as a feeder club for the Melbourne Storm and the presence of former Kiwi great Gary Freeman as Premier League coach, Norths believe they will not just discard the wooden spoon but vie strongly for the finals.
“The irony is that it looks like being quite a successful year on the field for us,” Gibbons said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------