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North Sydney Bears stalwart Greg Florimo has lifted the tempo for the recall of his club to the NRL, as the expansion debate hots up.
A foundation club in 1908, the Bears have been defunct since 1999, when they were amalgamated with Manly as the ill-fated Northern Eagles.
That stormy marriage ended in 2002, and the Bears have been playing in the NRL’s second-tier competition – the NSW Cup – ever since.
But tireless Florimo, a Bears Team of the Century centre, has given the newly created Independent Commission a timely reminder.
“Rugby league needs to consolidate its heartland before it looks to expand to the outer reaches of the nation, such as Perth and Adelaide.”
Sure, he’s pushing his Bears barrow now that he’s based on the central coast. His new cause would be known as the Central Coast Bears.
There are vastly more genuine league fans in the geographical gap between Manly and Newcastle, an area that currently has no NRL representation, than there will ever be in Perth or Adelaide.
It’s delusional to think Perth and Adelaide, where most of the population have been weaned on AFL, would have anywhere near the support of the Central Coast Bears.
Does the commission need to be reminded about the disaster the Western Reds were in Perth, and the Adelaide Rams in the Super League?
Both clubs were backed with News Ltd money, but still failed miserably. League will never compete in AFL heartlands, while rugby can chip away with good crowds following the Western Force thanks to the many Kiwis, South Africans, and Brits living in Perth.
Even Adelaide has a fair proportions of rugby followers, judging by the big crowds at the annual IRB Sevens.
But the Bears are ready to rumble.
Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford would be the Bears’ home ground, to be shared with A-League’s Central Coast Mariners. A picturesque setting, with a capacity of 20,000 all seated in comfort with a clear pillar-free view of the ground.
Besides, the Bears over the years have had many fans who regularly follow other clubs. If you put Florimo’s case to the rugby league fraternity I’d venture to say there would be over 90 percent support for the club’s recall.
Some great players have brightened up the rather drab red and black jersey, none more so than arguably the doyen of wingers in either code, Kenny Irvine. How he’s not an Immortal defies description. He was in a class of his own with a record 212 tries, 171 of them with the Bears.
A stream of Kangaroos proudly played with the Bears, among them Brian Carlson, Ken McCaffrey, Billy Wilson, Cec Blinkhorn, Duncan Thompson, Kerry Boustead, Peter Jackson, and Timmy Pickup, along with dual English international John Gray, and Kiwi interntionals Mark Graham, Daryl Halligan, and Clayton Friend.
The Bears are holders of a long tradition, that deserves the chance to be continued at the highest level.