The North Sydney Bears are saddened to hear the news former player #899, Noel Solomon, passed away today at the age of 53. The club sends its sincere condolences to the Solomon family at this tragic time.

A Townsville junior of Torres Strait Islander descent, Solomon came to the Bears in 1991 and was an instrumental part of our Reserve Grade Grand Final teams in both 1991 and 1992.

He made his first-grade debut for the Bears in Round 15 of the 1992 NSWRL season against Newcastle Knights. In 1993, he became a regular for the Bears, playing 21 of the club’s 22 games, starting 17 of them at halfback. In 1994, Solomon played just five games for North Sydney, which included coming off the bench in our preliminary final loss to the Canberra Raiders.

“A naturally gifted talent, he was also a warm and genuine human being. Noel could cut it with anyone on the field on his day, a magnificent passer of the ball and a solid chip and chase. He connected with everyone, Bears players and fans alike, always fun and funny, a good bloke. RIP Solo” commented club legend and ex-team mate Greg Florimo.

In 1995, Solomon returned to Townsville, joining the newly established North Queensland Cowboys. He came off the bench in the club’s inaugural game against the Sydney Bulldogs. Solomon played just six games for the Cowboys before being sacked in May for disciplinary breaches.^[2] In 1996, he played for the Mackay Sea Eagles in the Queensland Cup.

Rest in Peace Noel.