After six big rounds on the road, the boys get a much-needed Bye round this weekend to regroup, recover and spend some time with their families over Easter. In round 8, the Cup team head to GIO Stadium in Canberra to take on the Raiders in what is sure to be another tough clash. The team have been working hard to climb the comp ladder and are currently sitting in 6th place, happy to add the two points from the Bye.
Team Draws & Game Results: Draws – North Sydney Bears
Round 6 Match Report
The sun shone and Brisbane Waters sparkled as we prepared for our game day at Industree Group Stadium in Gosford last Sunday. For the first game of the 2025 Mario Fenech Cup, we took our game day up to the Central Coast to play the South Sydney Rabbitohs at the iconic stadium that had once been earmarked for the mighty Bears.
We kicked off the day with a thrilling match between Asquith Magpies and the Narrabeen Sharks that saw our local boys take the win in a close fought 20 – 16 scoreline. On the western side of the stadium the Bears Footy Fun Zone was in full swing with the NRL inflatable course that had tackle bags, pass the ball, goal kicking and more a big hit with the kids. Greg Florimo ran an interactive skills clinic that saw kids and adults alike learning aversive running, fast passing and just having a heap of fun. Plus, the face painting station, Bears tattoos and the merchandise stand were a constant buzz with members and fans.
At 3pm, fifty local junior rugby league kids from across the Central Coast streamed out across the field ahead followed by the Bears NSW Cup team who were hand in hand with Junior Bears Members, all sporting a big smile. As the kids followed Barney the Bear across the field to do a lap of honour, the game kicked off with Bears not taking long to light up the scoreboard. A fast attacking red and black side, sweeps the ball to the wing, a long ball from Jesse Marschke finds a speedy Tyrell Neiufi who dives for the white line. Harradyn Wilson converts from the sideline and the Bears lead 6 – 0. Over ten minutes passes with both sides pushing but denied with the Bears looking strong. Bears take the two from a Rabbitohs offside penalty inside the 10 metres and Wilson adds the two points. Moments later Bunnies are pulled up for a professional foul that sees Daniel O’Donnell sin binned and Bears make the most of the lopsided team when Coby Thomas offloads to a charging Regan Hughes who slides across the try line. Wilson converts easily from nearly in front and the score extends to 14 – 0. Just before the thirty-minute mark, the Bunnies find their attacking form and with some swift line movements are on the board. The kick is waived away and the score sits at 14 – 4 going into the half time break.
The second half kicks off and Bears notch up a number of errors, including two players on report for dangerous tackles, but with fierce defence manage to keep the opposition at bay. As the 50th minute ticks over, Israel Ogden easily bursts through the Bunnies defensive line off a sweet pass from Jake Toby. The kick is waived away and the score lights up at 18 – 4. A dangerous tackle by the recently returned sin binned O’Donnell unfortunately see’s big Regan Hughes sent off with an HIA and Ofahiki Ogden takes his place. Bears continue their attack with Wilson chipping under the goal posts where Jesse Marschke chases and pounces to ground the ball. Wilson converts and the lead extends to 24 – 4. With fifteen minutes still on the clock, Bunnies kick down field and win the chase to take the points adding an unconverted try to their scoreline. Ten minutes later, Max Lehmann is in for his third try of the game. Again, the Rabbitohs try goes unconverted and the score is 24 – 12. Not done yet, and with 2 minutes left on the clock, Jayden Yates makes a break, shrugs off a Bunny or two and passes to debut player Zac Makelim who scores in his first game in the red & black. Wilson converts and the good guys win 30 – 12.
Although the scoreline showed a dominant performance by the Bears, Head Coach Tony Barnes commented that the team made it harder than it had to be. The Bears had only 43% procession during the game and defended for long periods of time. Barnes commented that “their defenece was unbelievable” for a lot of the game. Their team bags their third win on the trot and heads into the bye with another win under the belt but also some good lessons to take out of the game.
