Northern Eagles

[Nuttybott]

I have noticed lately that even after 15 years, people on this Forum still often refer to the dark chapter of our great club's history that was the ill-fated merger with North Sydney between 1999 and 2001. It is clear that this distasteful experience left a lasting scar on many of us, and a fierce determination that our beloved MANLY-WARRINGAH SEA EAGLES will never do anything so foolish and misguided again.

So I was wondering...what are other Forum members' memories and experiences of the "Northern Eagles" period (see - even now I cannot bring myself to write their name without putting it in inverted commas, so as to make it seem like a "so-called" type of name, and thus illegitimate)? Did any members readily accept the merger, and become "Northern Eagles" fans for that period? Did you ever really consider it "your team"? Or did you, like me, reject the merger and refuse to have anything to do with it...turning your back on the game of rugby league altogether until Manly-Warringah were back in the competition in their own right, playing at Brookvale Oval under their proper name and wearing their proper colours?

 

[mjb136]

Switched to union. Just in time for the wallabies golden period.

Was so angry at the game during northern eagles days.

 

[KOMORI]

I dunno, around that period I broke up with my ex, lost a house, was bankrupt and turned to drugs, alcohol and loose women to get by... Sad as it seems the "Northern Eagles" weren't the worst thing that was going on in my world at the time!

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I went to the first ever game at Gosford, bought a hat , was so distraught afterwards as it wasn't my team that I never saw another game.

Found an early Internet forum and whinged and bitched for two years .

Never forget it and never want to go back there again.

 

[Utility Player]

Being a fan from afar it did not bother me as much as some, at least I still had a team to support.

Watching givememorlie throw intercept after intercept did dampen my enthusiasm at times.

 

[Frank]

I continued to support my club at the time. I was always of the belief that we would end up being a stand alone Manly again. I was even spreading the word that it was all a ruse to get $8 million when we needed it badly and end up killing of Norths in the process. This belief stemmed from the fact that the most important part of the merge was the condition that the license to play in the NRL would revert to Manly in the event of a collapse. That single condition convinced me that it was all part of a bigger plan.

I don't know for sure that this was the master plan but I honestly believed it at the time.

 

[Brissie Kid]

Phoned as much NRL radio talkback shows as i could bagging the merger & pushing for Manly to come back as the only way forward.

Never watched a NE game.

Don't believe the NRL. The NE merger was just 2 years 2000 & 2001. In 2002 the NRL made Manly play under the NE name out of spite.

 

[Daddycool08]

My daughter and I went to Gosford - first game against the dreaded Drug Castle who robbed us of yet another premiership in 1997.

I listened to the Prime Minister John Howard waffle on about something or other but listened more to the chant from the fans asking how his brother Stan Howard felt after the government bailed out Stan's business with taxpayer money. That was interesting.

Northern Eagles won and I was happy about that.

But what I found out as I wore my Northern Eagles cap and jersey up Hunter Street Newcastle the next week that I was not heckled nor was I hated as much when I wore my Manly Sea Eagles fan gear. A lot of people simply smiled and said, "your team played a good game."

I felt out of place no-one hated Manly anymore they accepted the Northern Eagles because of the Bear's connection. It felt uneasy to be liked because I supported the Northern Eagles not hated because I supported the mighty Manly Sea Eagles.

The NRL doesn't realise this or if they do they do not recognise it but we need a lovable team (at that time the Rabbits the battlers etc.) and also we need a reviled team for everyone to hate (at time up until the Northern Eagles it was Manly.)

The loss I felt was that the league had no villain. It is a similar feeling today as non-Manly types are barracking for us a their second team because of what was happening earlier this year. It appears that they are realising what the NRL are doing to Manly and they don't like it either.

I was happy to give the Northern Eagles a chance it is a lot closer for me to drive to the Central Coast than to Brookvale and I say the ground is better with a club right across the road from the Oval.

But lets put that all behind us and get behind our team as they fight to make the playoffs and hopefully win the whole shooting match. I'd love to hear 2V's press conference after the game saying how he was sacked due to poor performance.

 

[Eagles2nv]

I was only 11 when we became the Northern eagles, so I honestly couldn't quite comprehend the pain.

I have fond memory of when the name and colours got announced my Father (A big Manly fan) was absolutely furious. To paraphase = "There just going to get called Norths, and there is too much 'insert expletive' Red on the jersey". He was also angry cause he felt Manly were forced to take on Norths.

We didnt watch many games during that period (also symptomatic of poor performance), but still supported them as they were still half Manly.

I am very grateful that we became the Mighty Sea Eagles again and that we can learn what not to do in the future. Whoever negotiated the licence reverting back to Manly clause needs a statue at Brooky.

 

[Duff]

I saw them as the club that killed Manly, so I went for whoever played against them. I didn't really watch much league in those years though.
The game only brought me anger, not happiness, which without trying to be an amateur psychologist, still hangs over much of our supporter base today. I think back to the times in the 90's bantering with opposition supporters, swapping waving the Manly flag for the Wests flag at C'town with the Maggies supporters, they were the ones waving the Manly flag when we scored, and buying rounds with them. They won the game, we won the comp and the important thing was we were all pissed and having a great time. Now i'd sooner see thm hit by a bus outside the oval on the way home than talk to them.

I was back at Brookie for that arvo game in 2002 when it was announced we were back.

 

[Nuttybott]

at least I still had a team to support...

I never saw it that way. In fact, I took the opposite view. With Manly gone, I had NO team to support.

No Manly = No Football, as far as I am concerned.

 

[sheridanstand78]

I think I saw a total of 5.games in that era. It broke my heart at the time and only my love for my club kept me interested.

I remember one game against the dirty dogs at Brookvale in 2000. Sunday arvo would normally mean a good crowd. Crowd that day 7k and 2/3.we're dogs fans. Beaver scored the winning try and I was happy but it felt so empty. Black period in our history and why the 2008.grand final win was that bit extra special when you realize how close we were to extinction

 

[winnyason]

It was terrible. The terrible jumper, the best players did not even play it should have been super team. But plenty jumped ship the franchise did not get to form best of best like saints illawarra.
Spare a thought for bears fans built a stadium, lost money had to merge lost club. I loved them in comp the derbies where awesome I went to brookie in 96 where 25000 to play bears.
Yes it was crap but we got our team back our sport is about tribalism these mergers have taken that away

 

[SeaEagle007]

I still followed the Northern Eagles, but I felt lost!!!, I didnt watch as much NRL:, nor did I follow it. I still followed soccer, I was lost without a team or with a team with no soul.... I folloowed purely because of Toovey and Menzies. I didnt have any hate for the ex Bears players, at the end of the day it wasn't their fault. To this day I hate Super League for everything they did. THese days I go for any team that plays an ex superleague team.. As much as i dislike Parra, I will cheer them before the Dogs, Canberra , Brisbane etc you get my drift.. When Manly officially came back, I suddely started liking the game again. When Hasler took over , I knew we were definatly back, and from that moment i knew we were going for glory!!!!

 

[Lord Eagleton]

Switched to union. Just in time for the wallabies golden period.
Was so angry at the game during northern eagles days.

Me too. I had been playing union but basically gave up the game during that time and embraced union even more. Rugby league was dead to me.

 

[Chip and Chase]

Wait a minute !!! There was rugby league games on between 1999 and 2002 ???

 

[zabble]

I supported the NE's, just because I loved the sport and they were as close to Manly as I could get at the time. Only went to a couple of games, and recall vividly how dejected the fans were at games then.

It was certainly a dark period for the club and the competition in general, and am so thankful it is all in the past.

 

[HappilyManly]

Ignored the whole fiasco - came back slowly via the Finals Series from 2006.

Renewed my Manly Membership in 2008 and will take another hiatus after this year.

If it doesn't have a local identity, I have no real affinity with it

 

[JenEagle]

I left to work in London Sept 1999 a few weeks after watching Tezza Hill rip the Broncos to shreds at Brookie in that famous comeback to snatch a draw.

I returned Dec 2001 in time for the 02 season where we were still called the Northern Eagles however were effectively Manly as Norths had been kicked out of the partnership.

If there was any year we deserved to get the spoon with the team we had on paper it was that year 2002 however the manly spirit prevailed and we only missed out on a spot in the semis in the last round due to The 68-28 loss in the final round to the panthers at Brookie.

I attended heaps of games that year. Watched Luke Dorn, Tasesa Lavea, Gary Winter, Robert Miles, Ben Mad Dog, Squasher Wooden etc go round. We just played above our weight every week.

Beaver, Nik Kosef and Hoppa were enormous for us. Luke Williamson was also very good that year. He played 5/8 with Dorn for some of the season.

 

[KOMORI]

My daughter and I went to Gosford - first game against the dreaded Drug Castle who robbed us of yet another premiership in 1997.

I listened to the Prime Minister John Howard waffle on about something or other but listened more to the chant from the fans asking how his brother Stan Howard felt after the government bailed out Stan's business with taxpayer money. That was interesting.

Northern Eagles won and I was happy about that.

But what I found out as I wore my Northern Eagles cap and jersey up Hunter Street Newcastle the next week that I was not heckled nor was I hated as much when I wore my Manly Sea Eagles fan gear. A lot of people simply smiled and said, "your team played a good game."

I felt out of place no-one hated Manly anymore they accepted the Northern Eagles because of the Bear's connection. It felt uneasy to be liked because I supported the Northern Eagles not hated because I supported the mighty Manly Sea Eagles.

The NRL doesn't realise this or if they do they do not recognise it but we need a lovable team (at that time the Rabbits the battlers etc.) and also we need a reviled team for everyone to hate (at time up until the Northern Eagles it was Manly.)

The loss I felt was that the league had no villain. It is a similar feeling today as non-Manly types are barracking for us a their second team because of what was happening earlier this year. It appears that they are realising what the NRL are doing to Manly and they don't like it either.

I was happy to give the Northern Eagles a chance it is a lot closer for me to drive to the Central Coast than to Brookvale and I say the ground is better with a club right across the road from the Oval.

But lets put that all behind us and get behind our team as they fight to make the playoffs and hopefully win the whole shooting match. I'd love to hear 2V's press conference after the game saying how he was sacked due to poor performance.

There's something very, very wrong with the world when opposition fans don't hate your guts. It's like finding an honest politician or having your boss offer you a pay rise out of the blue.. It's good: but weird!!

This season has seen a minor change in the hearts of opposition fans. Our horrible start to the season has seen them forget how we've destroyed all before us for so long, and they think "hey Manly aren't THAT bad are they"? More than a few quietly admit they're enjoying how we've turned the season around and that if we went on to win it, they would enjoy it simply because it becomes a case of Tooves giving it to "the man", so they're ok with us winning. Weird huh?