Round 3 Match Report
“The start to our season has given us all a harsh reality of how tough it is to compete at this level, especially after what has been a successful couple of seasons” commented Bears CEO Gareth Holmes. He continued, “As a club we are not happy with our start but also understand that we have dealt with some challenges in key areas and positions in the opening rounds. We have faced adversity like this before and are confident with our playing group and coaching staff that we can turn this around”. While our early results have highlighted the areas and fundamentals we need to focus on, the team are now working to address the deficiencies and our response to this adversity will likely shape the rest of season.
In a throwback scene, last Saturday saw Magpies and Bears fans come together to watch the line up of the 2025 Jason Taylor Cup at historic Lidcombe Oval. the game kicked off and almost 21 minutes went by before the Magpies broke the line and were first to light up the scoreboard. The conversion was waived away and the opposition would sit at 4 points for the remainder of the half. Not long after Ben Talty found the try line and Harry Wilson neatly converted. Ten minutes later and just three minutes before the half time break, new recruit Ofahiki Ogden barged across to secure his first try in the red & black. Again, Wilson converted, and the team headed to the sheds up 12 – 4.
The second half started sweetly with Sean Vaivelata and Matt Stimson both successful in breaking the defence to add the points and Wilson continued to be on target kicking 4 from 4. At this point the Bears led 24 points to 4 with twenty-five minutes left on the clock. Unfortunately, that remaining time witnessed an unraveling of the Bears, and five unanswered tries chalked up by the home team. Magpies Hooker, Tristan Hope, schooled the Bears on maintaining the rage to the very last minute with 4 of those 5 tries attributed to his name. The final hooter blew, and we went down 32 – 24 losing game one of the Jason Taylor Cup. We next fight for the Cup in round 21 when we face the Magpies at North Sydney Oval on Friday 25th July.
The team is currently sitting in last place on the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup ladder, a spot we have not seen for a number of seasons now. With three losses now behind us and twenty-three rounds still ahead, the team have been working hard to refocus on the task in front of them. We know this is not a time to dip our heads but instead sharpen our determination, add fire to our bellies and find our grit making every minute of every round from here on in count.
ROUND 4:
This Saturday we are on the road again as we take on the St George Illawarra Dragons at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium. The game will be live streamed on Fox Sports. Let’s get behind the team to help bring home a win!
This season you can turn up or tune in to every game with BarTVs official live streaming (subscription payable).
Check out the Bears named to pull on a red & black jersey this week >>
Team Draws & Game Results: Draws – North Sydney Bears
NSWRL Official Live Stream of Games
Watch every game of the knock-On Effect NSW Cup 2025 season live via the official NSWRL BARTV live stream. This is a subscription service with two payment tier options of $6.95 for a 48 hour period or $19.95 per month. You will have access to all games during the subscription period.
