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The NRL isn’t going to revive the Bears – the Sydney rugby league market is just too packed and the Central Coast is not far enough away.
The league isn’t really ready for a 17th team and other bids have more merit.
I would love to see a Perth team join the competition, this would not only make the competition truly national, but also open up a late-night TV timeslot.
So while we have to accept that the Bears won’t be coming back, surely we can get the next best thing: rugby league games at North Sydney Oval.
It would be great to have at least one game a year at the historic ground which has held more first grade rugby league matches than all but two other grounds. Moving a game here would be financially beneficial to the team hosting as well.
The idea came to me as I drove past the field over the weekend. Seeing the oval brought back some great childhood memories of watching the Bears run around in the late 1990s. Nostalgia alone would fill that 20,000 capacity stadium.
Geographical location suggests Manly could do it, but that would seem a bit of bad taste due to the club’s long history of disagreement (in saying that someone did think it a good idea to merge the two clubs).
The Rabbitohs are the perfect fit for two reasons; they have a relationship with Norths through the NSW Cup, and both are foundation clubs.
One sticking point could prove to be the playing surface and facilities but the oval still hosts regular NSW Cup rugby league, Shute Shield rugby and Sheffield Shield cricket, so that ensures the ground is looked after.
The facilities might be a tad uncomfortable, but I’m sure fans wouldn’t mind to see footy played in North Sydney again – surely it couldn’t be worse than Brookvale.
The last premiership game played at the ground was ten years ago, when Souths hosted Manly. That day 14,855 people attended, which is quite a good crowd when you consider how poor both those clubs performed in 2004. Both those teams are powerhouses now, so taking that game to North Sydney would potentially lockout thousands of fans.
But there are plenty of options. The Rabbitohs could take one of their games against non-Sydney opponents to the venue. These games generally have low attendances and lack atmosphere, but that a game between the Rabbitohs and the Storm on a Sunday afternoon would sell out North Sydney Oval and be one of the spectacles of the season.
The Central Coast Bears bid has pledged to play one game a year at North Sydney Oval, against Manly, but that seems destined to never come to fruition. In their absence someone needs to pick up the slack.
While we hear responses that the NRL is considering moving games away from suburban grounds, a piece of Sydney rugby league history would die if this were the case. ANZ stadium with 12,000 fans provides no atmosphere and I cringe at the idea of not being able to watch Manly play at Brookie.
We should do the opposite and bring professional rugby league back to North Sydney Oval.
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