You know the NRL off-season has been quiet when the big story (at least of those less relevant to the upcoming season) revolves around whether the North Sydney Bears actually have 200,000 members.
In fairness to NRL Chairman Peter V’Landys, when he touted that figure earlier this week chances are he was reciting a talking point from the team he was discussing in the moment. Norths themselves once claimed they had 200,000 fans in a previous seasonal rallying cry, where they spread the word that the NRL should bring back the Bears.
And speak of the Bear and he shall appear! Because the same week our feeds were blemished with V’Landys parroting the same tiresome takes on the whole matter, North Sydney came out of hibernation to preach yet again ‘it’s time’. To the joy of lazy staff writers, no doubt.
If they’re serious about it though, there’s a sizeable hurdle to overcome. No one needs reminding of how little the NRL needs another Sydney team, so popular opinion is that the Bears’ hopes of rejoining the NRL lie beyond the borders of New South Wales.
Mario Fenech with North Sydney teammate Sean Hoppe in 1993. (Photo by Getty Images)
To their credit, the Bears have acknowledged this as well and are openly prepared to pack their bags and set up shop away from home to realise their return to the big league – whether in the Pacific (where they have reportedly been working on proposals in that regard) or in the more popular and arguably logical choice of Perth.
There’s a catch to that, though. Norths have listed four ‘non-negotiable’ items should the NRL discuss a potential return with them.
Want to keep the ‘Bears’ name? Not a problem. Keep the colours? Maybe we could throw an extra one in but whatever. The logo? That bear’s head could do with some modernising, especially if you’re moving elsewhere, but we’ll get back to that.
But you want four games at North Sydney Oval, at a minimum two? Excuse me, you’ve got to be joking.
North Sydney are in no position to demand up to a third of their home games be taken to a 20th century relic of a cricket ground that would make Brookvale Oval world class. If you’re to represent a new market in the NRL but won’t play out a full season’s worth of home fixtures there, then what’s the point?
Mark Geyer with the Western Reds. (Photo by Getty Images)
Now, if you were to ask this rugby league fan, who remains cynical about any proposal for an NRL team in Papua New Guinea or the Pacific out of questions of viability, then the logical option for relocating the Bears brand is Perth.
Suggesting this, however, brings with it a band of naysayers who argue Perth is too parochial to accept Sydney’s leftovers.
That shouldn’t be a barrier, because if we look towards the AFL, we can see clear examples in the Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans of Melbourne-based identities moving and becoming successful outside the sport’s heartlands. If they can do it, so can Norths.
All it takes is some considerate branding that tells Western Australians the Bears are there to represent them in rugby league. Of course, if they do go ahead with the Pacific proposal despite its risks, they must then do it there as well.
Should the NRL consider either option, it must set some non-negotiables of its own. At a minimum, there are four things the Bears must concede on if they want their identity to be successful wherever it lands.
Firstly, don’t just be the Bears. If you’re going to WA, be the ‘Western Bears’. Throw ‘West’ and ‘Western’ into every other line of marketing material. If it’s the Pacific, be the ‘Pasifika Bears’. Embrace it and own it. Be undisputedly Western or Pasifika or whatever way you go.
Then, freshen up your brand to reflect that. You should be a new team representing a new market, not an identity crisis-ridden relic of yesteryear. That means a modern logo too.
Greg Florimo and North Sydney Bears fans at North Sydney Oval. (Photo by Getty Images)
Commit to your new home, which means playing at least 10 of your 12 home games there. Even better would be 11. You can have one game at Norths Oval, maybe another at the more suitable Central Coast stadium, but no more.
Don’t showboat the history of North Sydney in your new home. Again, you’re a new team. There will be opportunities to pay tribute to it, especially in the way of merchandise, but it takes a backseat. If you move to Perth, make some effort to acknowledge the Western Reds as well.
Outside of those essential times, the Bears should also be open-minded when it comes to other possible minor updates to the brand. Things like an accent colour to go with the red and black are negotiable but wouldn’t hurt, whether it’s a dash of yellow for Perth or a splash of cyan for the Pacific.
If they can accept all that, then a place in the NRL should be ready and waiting for them – so long as the league sensibly doesn’t buy in to the political football that is the proposed Papua New Guinea team.
Otherwise, the game must move on and continue to pursue real expansion in valuable markets like Perth, and leave North Sydney stuck in the past.
sheek
Roar Guru
The first thing I'd ask is if anyone has bothered to ask the Bears what they want? So far, they have been relocated to Cairns as the PNG Bears, or to the West as the Perth Bears, & most recently as the NSW Country Bears. Maybe they've even been sold as the Pacifika Bears? But has anyone bothered to ask the Bears themselves what they want? For me, it's straightforward, there's only one club on Sydney's entire North Shore - Manly Warringah. So simplest thing is to bring the Bears back to their old hunting ground - North Sydney. Now I know those outside of Sydney will go feral at the idea of another club in Sydney, but before you get too carried away, it was Sydney where the game started in Oz & has always enjoyed its greatest support. It's the most sensible & cost effective move. Bringing in PNG will cripple the NRL resources. Rugby league in Perth is not as popular as rugby union, while other means need to be found to revive the game in the bush. North Sydney Bears. Always was, always is, always will be.
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
What happens to their players that aren’t in NRL each week? Flying 10 hours each weekend to get a decent game of footy to improve and develop is catastrophic for performance of your first grade side long term. Think everyone misses this vital thought of a high performance program. Everyone just looks at the national footprint and time zone and goes “let’s drop a side in over there”. Mid nineties the Reds were transitioning to professional standards. Storm send their players to QLD and this year also NSW (ironically the Bears) to get a good game. Perth to eastern seaboard and back each week sounds exactly like a decent reason.
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
Why not purchase a Sydney away game or two and play it at NSO? Seems like the obvious simple solution.
Bernie
Roar Rookie
yep, i like it. seriously though, Qld is the powerhouse of league, they win origin 9 out of ten times, they have all the stars - why not another team mid-Qld coast?
matth
Roar Guru
From memory it was due to a sponsorship deal with someone in the distant past. Before that they were the Longshoremen
matth
Roar Guru
Excuse me, I think you mean the Bundy Drop Bears!
matth
Roar Guru
If you want real tradition get rid of the Bear and bring back their Longshoremen nickname
DJames
Roar Rookie
You don't get it. Playing games at NSO isn't about short-changing the interstate side of things. It's about giving those rusted-on supporters in NSW who've been waiting for 25 years the home game experience. Yes, they will have plenty of Away games within driving distance, but home games mean the homefield advantage, the partisan crowds and their own merchandise on sale at the merch stand. It's essentially what the Bulldogs are doing with Belmore or the Tigers do with Leichhardt, but with an even greater purpose because of how long it's been for Norths fans and how difficult it would be to travel to wherever the new home ends up being. If the better solution is to donate some Away games from a near neighbour like Manly or Souths then so be it. Aside from just giving the logo a facelift, everything else you've mentioned isn't just minor updates to the brand. The non-negotiables are in place precisely to prevent it from getting bastardised. It wouldn't be a new club, it's relocating an existing one. Bears in red and black. There's no identity crisis, it's not all about nostalgia, it's about seeing the Bears in the NRL in the 2020's and beyond. The game has gone through a lot of changes in the last 25 years and no Bears supporter hasn't wondered what the club would be like today if they weren't dealt the worst ever cards in 1999. The club already made more compromises than anyone else to keep a presence in first grade by being the only ones who actively relocated (to the Central Coast) and then merge with their arch rivals. No other club did more for the sake of holding onto a place in the NRL and no other club lost more in doing so. So you'll forgive the Bears for being steadfast on their non-negotiables after everything they've been through. Relocating is a big enough adjustment, on top of the quarter century banishment that never should have happened.
andrew
Roar Rookie
Like that ridiculous cartoon style Bulldog that Canterbury had a few years back. Glad to see they went back to the traditional Bulldog logo.
Redcap
Roar Guru
Whoosh.
Snookers
Roar Rookie
Good call on the alternate jersey! A traditional away jersey would definitely build recognition and give a unique local twist to the Bears brand without fighting against it. Have to disagree with you on the Central Coast Bears logo though. When I think of the Bears I think of history and tradition – I feel like the modern illustration of the bear and the fresh typefaces are the exact opposite of this.
Snookers
Roar Rookie
That’s actually a fair call about the away jersey - might be thinking more about English football but I think it gives a club more recognition when they have a traditional away kit (ie. Arsenal - Yellow/Blue). Can’t agree with you on the Central Coast Bears logo though. When I think of the Bears, I associate words like tradition and history with them… If the logo is a modern cartoon with expressive typography on it, I feel like you lose the essence of what the club is about. Now that you’ve bought up the CC Bears logo, I don’t see the point in even debating this. Instead of hiring someone like me who’s going to research the club, interview Perth fans and study similar cases across the world, they’ll just ask find someone they’re know who has a cousin that can draw. They’ll ask them to make a cool looking Bear, then a group of people that work at the club will vote on the one they think looks the best.
Rosie
Roar Rookie
Nice read. I am keen to see the Bears go West, I can’t see any reason (if executed correctly) that the Bears would not succeed in Perth. I absolutely agree they need to fully embrace their new home, call themselves the Perth or Western Bears and forget about playing at North Sydney oval. There will be ample opportunity to play in front of rusted on Bears fans when playing away games in Sydney. I am not keen on the Pasifika or PNG proposals, I hope the commission don’t go down this route.
Rosie
Roar Rookie
There were some at Taronga Zoo, I can only assume that is where the name came from?
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
@ Maxtruck. Well they did stand alone for 92 years. And since the end of that sham merger they have. And they've done it well. As for the sucking off the teat of other teams that's a bit rich considering the amount of financial aid ie bail outs other teams have been given over the years. Not to mention the ever increasing amount the clubs demand from the ARL/NRL in from Broadcast revenue.
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
@ Snookers The Central Coast Bears rebrand was a good redesign it's just a pity it wasn't allowed to succeed. As for messing with the red and black I mostly agree but you could do an away or alternate jersey that reflects WA or Perths traditions and history.
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
Who do you think the Cumberland team was reborn as? Answer Parramatta they played at Cumberland Oval then renamed Parramatta Stadium if I'm not mistaken.
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
I think those who know rugby league will know the Bears and that's a good starting point. WA is a AFL state but there's enough union and league followers and players to establish a foothold. West Coast Bears has a certain ring to it.
KiwiBear
Roar Rookie
Forty Twenty Yeah there's a great stadium there by all accounts and it's there thanks to the foresight of the Bears. They planned it and they were going to be the Central Coast Bears and thanks to powers that be they've never gotten to use it as intended.
mrl
Roar Rookie
I’ve never seen a bear in North Sydney.