New Bears "Docu whinge tary"

[globaleagle]

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/n...y/news-story/f551ec577254f2090044e0f55da0edf0


The "Hunt for real answers!" - lol

Mr Gibbons, now a documentary-maker, is on a mission to get “real answers” from the NRL about the “raw deal” the club copped between 1995 and 2005.


On the 'merger':
“When it was put together it was the North Sydney side of it that put in the millions to make it happen. And the colours of the team actually looked like Manly. It was another raw deal for the Bears.”

("If" true, that makes their demise even more awesome! )



After reading paragraph after paragraph on how amazing they are and wonderfully run, and how much support, yadda yadda yadda; it was funny to read this:


The Bears are battling to make the finals in the NSW Cup this season, winning just five of their 17 games as they sit in second-last spot and five points adrift of the top eight.

Yes, it is behind a paywall. No I won't say for the millionth time how to get around it. 😛

 

[Peter C]

I have no sympathy for the Bears whatsoever, the sooner somebody puts a sword to them and finishes them for good, then the better, they are the bane of our existence.
They were $hit for generations, had a few solid years in the 90's and then their management put them into administration, they weren't dudded by the NRL, they were dudded from within and are still in denial andblame us, when the blame should go to Mark Cannon, what a genius!

 

[manlyfan76]

Poetic licence

 

[The Wheel]

Why would anyone waste their time making a documentary no one will watch or care about (except the Bears Supporters Club members who use to meet in the phone box outside Percys)

 

[MadMarcus]

Amazing how Norths could put millions into the merger when they were in administration and not assessed against the NRL’s criteria because they were insolvent...

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

Indeed. And then Manly apparently paid out the contracts of the Norths’ contracted players (Stringer et al) when the de-merger took place.

 

[sheridanstand78]

The bears are the masters of playing the victim, just blame Manly for their woes. BTW it should not be forgotten that it was MANLY who paid out their players because Norths were in the dodoo with money in 2002!!

 

[madmax]

The Superleague War is one reason Manly are not the financial power they once were.......the Bears are the other. They were in liquidation, had zero dollars, couldn't afford to pay their players & Manly made the mistake of accepting them as a joint venture partner. The Bears side of things were bleeding Manly dry financially. The footballing license belonged to Manly not the Bears as many of their twat supporters believe. Manly needed to get rid of the cancer the Bears were & thankfully they did. Unfortunately we're still paying for that mistake.......it boils my blood when their supporters blame Manly for their demise! Those useless pr!$%s couldn't work their way out of a wet paper bag let alone run a successful club.

 

[HoldenV8]

The worst part of the Bears, putting aside that their dickhead fans blame us for their demise, is that whenever there is talk of NRL expansion or a club possibly being sold.....Greg Florimo and his minions seem to get their hooks into it and suddenly its the "Return of the Bears".

The Bears, as far as playing in the NRL is concerned, are dead. Give it a bloody rest for crying out loud.

 

[mave]

Florimo is an ambulance chaser.
Fk him, and fk the Bears.

 

[Harvies elbow]

The same amount of people will watch this 'documentary' as those who marched in the streets to save them.
Nil.
We inherited the Quasimodo's hump of rugby league with that merger...

 

[wombatgc]

We inherited the Quasimodo's hump of rugby league with that merger...

Points for that metaphor.

 

[SeaEagle21]

This image is what i think about when it comes to the NE Merger. Manly is represented by rhe gentleman on the left and Bears are represented by the Gentleman on the right.

 

[The Who]

Well, I'm going to stick up for the 'Grizzlies'. Norths were always my second team. I lived much of my life on the Lower North Shore and used to go to North Sydney Oval at half time and watch the second half for free as they would throw the gates open. Following Norths was not difficult because expectations were so low. You never expected a win so you weren't that disappointed with a loss . . . unfortunately that is what it's like this season for Manly, who have always been my team.
Norths did get shafted by the League. So I'll be interested if this doco does shed light on some underhand tactics by the League. The plan to align with the Central Coast and play at the revamped Grahame Park seemed to have merit, but construction delays meant they missed a League deadline. Had Norths been able to tap into the junior talent and spectator support on the Central Coast they would have been very competitive.
It surprised me that the Northern Eagles were so unsuccessful. Manly-Norths had so many good players 'on paper' that it's obvious their hearts weren't in it.
Two things Norths have that Manly need are:
1. A successful Leagues Club to pump money into the club, and
2. North Sydney Oval which at least gets money spent on it by the Council.

 

[manly al]

The Super League element of the new N R L structure in the late nineties were fully aware that both Manly and Norths were having financial issues and staying competitive and were only ever interested in having one club in Sydney;s north side . The delay in redeveloping Graham park did work against the Bear;s interests but still very questionable whether they would have been accepted and viable on the Central coast. Just commendable again that Manly somehow found the resolve and determination to continue as a separate entity on the Northern beaches and with the considerable financial input firstly by Max Delmege and now the Penns have managed to stay that way .

 

[ricardo]

Well, I'm going to stick up for the 'Grizzlies'. Norths were always my second team. I lived much of my life on the Lower North Shore and used to go to North Sydney Oval at half time and watch the second half for free as they would throw the gates open. Following Norths was not difficult because expectations were so low. You never expected a win so you weren't that disappointed with a loss . . . unfortunately that is what it's like this season for Manly, who have always been my team.
Norths did get shafted by the League. So I'll be interested if this doco does shed light on some underhand tactics by the League. The plan to align with the Central Coast and play at the revamped Grahame Park seemed to have merit, but construction delays meant they missed a League deadline. Had Norths been able to tap into the junior talent and spectator support on the Central Coast they would have been very competitive.
It surprised me that the Northern Eagles were so unsuccessful. Manly-Norths had so many good players 'on paper' that it's obvious their hearts weren't in it.
Two things Norths have that Manly need are:
1. A successful Leagues Club to pump money into the club, and
2. North Sydney Oval which at least gets money spent on it by the Council.

I've got a similar backstory and always enjoyed watching the bears and loved the oval. I was one of the very few who loved the Northern Eagles idea, always lived North shore and Northern beaches.

 

[The Who]

The inaugural Northern Eagles cap. Sold at Grahame Park on Sunday, February 8, 2000.
Now a 'collector's' piece . . .

 

[lsz]

Hated the merger but always liked having the bears around
1. For most most of the time it was an easy 2 points
2. As a lower north shore boy I also ended up there a fair bit so was interested in seeing them go round
3. I love a local derby which this had in spades. I remember sitting on the sideline one Friday night when we played in the old school eagle jersey

 

[jbb/james]

I love history and hate super league and the nrl or what it became. Norths were shafted just like souths, but souths did something, norths did nothing.

They kept crapping on about how financially viable they were and how much coin they had but played a **** hand, shafted there players and seem to forget the facts conveniently

While manly paid the norths players out im pretty sure they only paid them a % of what was owed to them, implying norths should pay the rest as they were contracted to norths. They never did , but continued to spruik about the swelling coffers.

As with all things league it was one **** storm after another and the game has never progressed . Sad days for rugby league , norths, souths ,

Manly played the hand as best they could and to this day it is still one of the biggest **** yous of all time to the league. Well played considering the whole story.

 

[manlyfan76]

Never forget who got rugby League into this whole mess.

If you are a young 'un and don't know the history, ask around or do some research (hint don't read news ltd articles).