This narrow view of "being dead" ie if you're not in the top flight you are dead, is unjustified and disrespectful. Bears as a grass roots RL organisation are doing fine. They have a good jnr club base, they have elite pathways in HM, SG, U20 and reserve grade sides, through to feeding an NRL club, they are financially sound and they are providing a local region of Sydney a RL presence and system of game development. Bears are a great example of how being relegated out of the top flight is not the end of the world. They are just as important to the fabric of RL as any NRL side, clubs like Bears, Wentworthville, Jets, Mounties etc are critical to the strength of RL in Sydney and don't need to have an NRL side to achieve this.