The North Sydney Bears have fallen just short in their Qualification Final against the Newcastle Knights, going down 26–20 at St George Venues Jubilee Stadium in Kogarah. The game was played in difficult conditions, with both sides showing plenty of determination, but the Bears were ultimately unable to secure the result.

The boys made a strong start and opened the scoring in the 10th minute through Abiarthur Toi Tuilaepa. After the ball was shifted to the right hand side, the centre showed great awareness to step back inside the Knights’ defensive line and give the Bears an early lead. Despite the positive opening, the Bears were unable to maintain their momentum as the Knights responded with three tries to take control of the first half. The Bears headed into the sheds trailing 14–4, setting up a crucial second half.

The boys came out firing after the break, with Matt Stimson crossing just minutes into the second half following a quick dummy-half pass from Joshua Cook. The momentum continued to shift in the Bears’ favour, with Tom Steadman producing an excellent kick and chase opportunity. Matthew French showed impressive acceleration and awareness to read the play, beating the defence to the ball and securing possession before grounding it to score. With the Bears continuing to apply pressure, Matt Komolafe then produced an excellent diving finish on the wing in the 61st minute, crossing to bring North Sydney within reach of levelling the contest. Despite their second-half fightback, the Bears were unable to complete the comeback and ultimately fell 26–20.

Statistically, the Bears demonstrated plenty of attacking intent throughout the contest with 57% possession, recording 1,681 run metres, four line breaks and 21 tackle breaks. Jake Toby led the with an outstanding 210 run metres, while Coby Thomas topped the defensive efforts with 35 tackles. Abiarthur Toi Tuilaepa also made a strong contribution, scoring a try and recording a line break. Defensively, the Bears continued to work hard throughout the 80 minutes, making 253 tackles at an 85% effective tackle rate.

While the result did not fall the Bears’ way, the side has a second chance to progress through the finals series, with another crucial clash awaiting this weekend. On Saturday, the Bears will take on the Newtown Jets at Leichhardt Oval in what promises to be a fiercely contested battle. With both sides securing a win against each other throughout the regular season, the Bears will be determined to put together a strong performance to progress to the next stage. We would love to see as many of our fans as possible make their way to Leichhardt Oval, get behind the boys and show their support in the red and black.

Check out the Bears named to pull on a red & black jersey this Saturday for the Minor Semi Final >>