the sigh
Ghosts, Rivalries, and the Future of the Game
In the space of 24 hours, I watched three State of Origin matches. One was on television; the senior clash at the MCG, followed by a trip to North Sydney Oval for the men’s and women’s Under 19s fixtures. In a crushing turn of events, I watched Queensland win all three.
As a New South Wales supporter, I’ll be honest: “sigh” doesn’t quite cover the feeling. It is a collective, exhausted deflation. Queensland didn’t just beat us; they won the middle, consistently generated field position through their forwards, and made every defensive set feel like an exercise in survival.
New South Wales, particularly in the men’s match, showed flashes of brilliance. The line breaks and attacking shape on the edges were sensational. Yet it felt as though every Queensland raid inside our red zone ended in points. The football was free-flowing, end-to-end and genuinely entertaining, but the final result remained a tough pill to swallow.
By the end of the evening, though, I realised the losses were only part of the story.
Back at the Old Lady
I had not set foot in North Sydney Oval for league since the late 1990s, around the time the North Sydney Bears disappeared from first grade following the Northern Eagles experiment.
Walking through the gates under a clear winter sky felt strangely like coming home. There is something about North Sydney Oval that makes you momentarily forget the passage of time. The old grandstands, the hill, that fig tree and the city skyline beyond the ground all seem to exist slightly outside the modern game.
The crowd of more than 4,200 people was buoyant and genuinely happy to be there. This was not simply another representative fixture. There was a sense that people wanted to be at this ground, celebrating rugby league in one of its traditional homes.
Standing there, I found myself caught between memory and reality.
The Ghost of the Bears
The evening also brought an unexpected and slightly uncomfortable encounter. A merchandise stand was selling gear for the new Perth Bears franchise.
The logo was familiar. The colours were familiar. The name was familiar.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was seeing something borrowed rather than inherited. The colours and logo were familiar, but to me, they still felt unearned.
Logically, I understand why the NRL has done it. The Bears remain one of rugby league’s most recognisable brands, and there is genuine affection for the club across Australia. Emotionally, however, it still feels strange.
Twenty-six years after the original Bears disappeared from first grade, the name suddenly reappeared on the other side of the country.
As a Manly supporter, Norths have always been the team I love to hate. It is a sibling rivalry, the kind where you happily watch them lose to your side, but if they were playing any other team, you would be cheering for them without hesitation.
Seeing the Bears’ name at North Sydney Oval again felt less like a new beginning and more like a ghost wandering familiar territory.
Perhaps I’m willing it into existence, but if there’s a Manly versus Bears game at North Sydney Oval next year, I’ll be there, cheering for Manly but still wondering who are the Perth Bears, not the North Sydney B.
The Future of the Game
Of course, the reason we were all there had little to do with old rivalries and nostalgia.
These Under-19s fixtures are effectively tomorrow’s first-grade rugby league being played today.
Watching these young men and women, you could clearly see players who will represent their states and play first-grade rugby league in the NRL and NRLW within the next few years. The talent on display was immense. Some of these players will become household names. Some will play State of Origin. Some may even represent Australia.
For many, this was simply the first chapter.
As the crowd slowly filtered towards the Metro station, I realised my sigh wasn’t simply because Queensland had won again.
North Sydney Oval had felt suspended between three eras at once: memories of the old Bears, a possible future with the new Bears, and a generation of players preparing to inherit the game.
The game keeps moving.
Clubs disappear and re-emerge. Rivalries endure. Young players become stars and, eventually, become memories themselves. Supporters spend years clinging to old identities while the sport quietly evolves around them.
But standing at North Sydney Oval, it was impossible not to feel optimistic.
Because there is always another chapter waiting to begin.
