The Big Day Has Arrived: First Leg of the Frank Hyde Shield
Next Sunday North Sydney Oval will be the host for two Rugby League matches including the Womans’ Country versus City and the first leg of the Frank Hyde Shield.
Gates will open 12:45 pm for a 1:00 pm kick-off to the womans’ open age fixture, followed by the Frank Hyde Shield at 3:00 pm between the North Sydney Bears and the Newtown Jets.
View the North Sydney Bears team list to face Newtown – North Sydney Bears Team to Face the Newtown Jets.
View the both Country and City womens’ teams – Country and City Womans’ Teams for the Inaugural Clash at North Sydney Oval.
As we take on the Newtown Jets at North Sydney Oval the Bears are proud to announce that they will be wearing a very special event jersey – a replica from our 1943 Grand Final against Newtown.
The 1943 Grand Final represents an important moment in our Club’s great history. Led by the mighty Frank Hyde – who had left Newtown to join us via Balmain the year previous – North Sydney had already beaten Newtown three times that year before we met in the Grand Final.
The 1943 decider remains one of the game’s most memorable Grand Finals of all time.
Played at a heaving SCG in front of a record crowd of well over 60,000 – further inflated by thousands watching on roofs and vantage points outside the ground and by over 10,000 fans locked out – the game is remembered for who didn’t play – our champion lock Harry Taylor.
Now that the season is in full swing don’t forget to grab your Bears gear in our merchandise store.
Rated by Frank Hyde as one of the best locks of the 1940s, Taylor was secretly in transit to New Guinea to fight in the war.
Rumours, however, swept the ground that he would go AWOL to play the match – that he had even been picked up outside the SCG by military police on his way into don the Red and Black.
The rumour persisted for decades until Taylor set the record straight in an interview in 1990.
A hastily reshuffled Norths side lost the Grand Final, 34-7, and while Taylor made a brief comeback in 1946, injuries suffered during the war ended his career.
Our Grand Final side was missing other key players that had made the season such a success.
Missing the Grand Final on active service was our fullback Neville Butler who played at Bear Park while training with the RAAF in Sydney between 1940 and 1943.
Neville was a Flying Officer with the 460 Squadron and killed in action when his plane was shot down over Germany in 1944.
The 1943 season and the Grand Final remains one of our great Club’s most famous.
In 2017 we are proud to bring back the red jumper with a black vee for our games against our 1943 nemesis and friends at Newtown.
Want to help keep the Bears going strong? Become a Football Club member today.
We are very pleased to announce that this jersey will be able to be purchased in both adult and kids sizes – complete with the white collar and 43 on the back! either at the game or on-line at northsydneybears.com.au These heritage jerseys are a limited edition so move fast!
They will initially be available at the game on Sunday and a week later on-line at in our merchandise store.
However, these heritage jerseys are a limited edition so move fast!
Sunday Schedule:
| 12:45 pm | Gates open | |
| 1:00 pm | Womans Open | Country Vs City |
| 3:00 pm | Frank Hyde Shield | North Sydney Bears Vs Newtown Jets |
