State of League on the North Shore

[Wests is Best]

THE NSDRLFC runs the game on the north shore and they have a path to the nrl through souths, [even if the mitchell pearce's of this world get thieved by easts! from north shore marist].

You raise a good point there. M Pearce was born and bred on the north shore, (just a stones throw from my mum and dad actually) although he has never been associated with the bears.
Since the bears finished in the NRL in 1999, have any players coming through the North Sydney juniors ever made it in the NRL?
I can't think of any but stand to be corrected.

 

[Big-Steve]

I think these recent posts confirm that the old Nth Sydney area is not being serviced by one of the "Sydney" NRL clubs.

A junior in that area has no direct path to a NRL club.

A potential sponsor in that area has to go outside thier part of Sydney to find a NRL club - ask Manly, Cronulla, Penrith etc to survive without local sponsors & see how far they get.

Junior Districts have not changed. North Sydney is still responsible for the Area. If anything it has expanded North West.

Norths do not have an NRL lincence so there is no official NRL team linked to the North Shore. Problem is 2 fold. This has allowd other codes to take over hard fought ground against RL in both Union and AFL and has prompted other NRL teams to raid the area at will pretty much disrupting anylong term growth in the area. Manly people especially have infiltrated the North Shore junior ranks stock piling and have since the Northern Eagles break up approched the NSWRL re taking over the North Shore.

Things have been tried there were arrangements tried with the Roosters and even an earlier 1 year stint with the Bunnies that was when the Bears were the Central Coast Bears playing out of Central Coast Stadium.

In 2005 and 2006 an aggreement with Melbourne was in place but in the end melbourne was not interested enough in making it work. The agreement ended with Mitchell Pearce lost to the Roosters and Liam Foran going to Melbourne http://www.northsydneybears.com.au/Bears%20Den/News/Reports/20061122-following-in-big-footsteps.htm. And now Melbourne have thrown a heap load of money at the CC pretty much locking the Bears out of the area. Although I expect there will continune to be a link between the NS and the CC as there has been for the last20 or 30 years. It just could have been so much stronger if there was a CC NRL side.

Now it's Souths and it does seem to be the begining of a turnaround. Norths have been able to make 3 crutial local junior signings http://www.northsydneybears.com.au/Bears%20Den/News/Reports/20061113-north-sydney-sign-top-local-talent.htm on the back of it and Souths players and Jason Taylor have begun making appearences at junior training.

To be honest this is a point I argued strongly at the hight of the 16th team debate. I'm a little bemused and confussed that people are now accepting this point!

No Central Coast Bears has left 2 of the most highly concentrated and populated areas in the country open to other codes. Areas that were strong in RL. The NS went faster because there was already a strong union presence. I fear it's only a matter of time before the RL mad CC starts to drift.

 

[Big-Steve]

although he has never been associated with the bears.

He had been playing Junior rep for North Sydney for 2 years when he was signed by the Roosters.

 

[Big-Steve]

St ives and lane cove are a fair way from each other. It must have been a forest coach lines bus that runs down to the beaches.It is only 15 mins to brookvale oval from st ives though.

The NRL have been placing add advertising Manly on bus shelters in Bears heart lands such as longiville road in Lane Cove.

It'd hard to image many Manly fans driving past or taking buses in these areas on a regular basis.

Some Norths People are up in arms about it because it helps give kids the impression that Manly own the NS.

Another Case of the NRL acting in isolation to the rest of RL and causing damage in the process.

Under the curcumstances it would be more appropriate to advertise Souths but then the NRL have the Bears retro jersey selling in the Manly section so...

 

[S.S.T.I.D]

If thats who I choose to support if the dogs got kicked out, then yes.

:shock:

 

[Dogs Of War]

:shock:

I didn't say I would choose to support them, I said if I did.