IN THE NINETYS THE NORTH TAMWORTH BEARS WERE ALWAYS A CERTAINTY FOR 2 COMP POINTS...FOR THE OPPOSITION THAT IS!!!
THEY WERE THE EASY BEATS...THE CLUB THAT ALL CLUBS IN OPPOSITION MARKED DOWN AS A CERTAIN TWO POINTS WHEN THEY MET.
IN '98 THIS,NOW,98 YEAR OLD CLUB ALMOST FOLDED...THEY WERE SICK OF GETTING THRASHED,THEIR FACILITYS WERE RUN DOWN AND THE LITTLE EQUIPMENT THEY HAD WAS FALLING APART.
A CRISIS MEETING WAS HELD AND THE CLUB DECIDED TO "GIVE IT ANOTHER GO".
TWO FORMER NRL PLAYERS JUST HAPPENED TO FLOAT INTO TOWN RIGHT ABOUT THEN...THE BEARS TOOK A PUNT ,SIGNED THEM UP AND....MADE THE 99 SEMIS...THE BIG BLACK BEARS WERE BACK!!!
THE TWO PLAYERS?...FORMER RABBITOH,PETER DRISCOLL,WHO IS STILL AT THE BEARS AND A SNIFF AWAY FROM HIS 100th FIRST GRADE GAME,AND FORMER RABBITOH AND EEL,MATT MUNRO WHO WENT ON TO COACH NORTHS IN 2000 AND 2001,MAKING THE GRAND FINAL ON BOTH OCCASSIONS.
THE BEARS, UNTIL THEN,HAD NOT PLAYED IN A G.F.FOR 16 LONG YEARS AND HAD NOT WON A MAJOR PREMIERSHIP FOR 20 YEARS!
BUT...THEY WERE BACK AND IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING SPECIAL.
THIS YEAR THEY ARE PLAYING FOR THEIR FOURTH STRAIGHT PREMIERSHIP.
AFTER DEFEATS IN 2000,01 & 03,NORTHS FINALLY PICKED UP THE BIG ONE IN 05,REPEATED THAT IN 06 AND CREATED CLUB HISTORY WHEN THEY DID IT AGAIN IN 07!
TO TOP IT OFF THEIR REGGIES BOOKED A RIDE AS WELL AFTER LOSING THE G.F. IN 05,THEY WON IN 06 AND ALSO CREATED CLUB HISTORY BY WINNING THE FIRST BACK TO BACK RESERVE GRADE PREMIERSHIPS FOR THE CLUB IN ALMOST 60 YEARS AND THEY TOO ARE BACK IN THE 08 G.F. DEFENDING THEIR TITLE.
IT'S A FAIRY TALE THAT CONTINUES ON SUNDAY 14/09/08 AT THE BEARS HOME GROUND WHEN THE CLUB HOSTS ANOTHER GROUP 4 SEASONS END BLOCKBUSTER...DONT MISS IT.
THE CLUB WOULD ESPECIALLY LIKE TO SEE ANY AND ALL FORMER BEARS AT THIS YEARS GRAND FINAL...AFTER 98 YEARS THEY NUMBER IN THEIR THOSANDS AND THE CLUB ISSUES EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM AN INVITATION TO BE ,AGAIN,A PART OF A VERY SPECIAL CLUB ON A VERY SPECIAL OCCASSION. |
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