For North Sydney Bears fans, Saturday 12 September’s minor semi-final ended in the cruelest fashion. The Jets edged the Bears 26-25 thanks to Taj Ford’s late field goals, sending Newtown through to the Preliminary Final while leaving Bears supporters sitting on the Hill at the 8th Wonder to reflect on what might have been.
Yet in the pain, there was plenty to cherish from a season that restored belief in the red, white, and black.
The agony of the final whistle
After racing to a 12-0 lead through tries to Tui Katoa and Harradyn Wilson, the Bears watched Newtown claw back with three first-half tries of their own. The second half became a brutal arm-wrestle. Matt Stimson’s try in his 100th game for the club sparked hope and Ammaron Gudgeon’s slick finish off a Tom Steadman run tied the scores at 24-all. Steadman’s drop goal then put the Bears ahead 25-24 with minutes left, only for Ford to answer with two of his own, the last on the final play to seal a 26-25 Newtown win.
Celebrating Cook and French
Amid the heartbreak, it’s worth pausing to acknowledge two players who embodied the Bears’ 2026 resurgence: Josh Cook and Matt French. Cook, the tireless hooker, was the engine room all year, leading by example with his trademark service, tackle numbers and quiet leadership on the park. French, meanwhile, was a rock in the forwards, laying a platform with his metres gained, and a try here and there, that allowed the Bears to finish second on the ladder. Their contributions this season have given the club something to build on, even if the finals finish wasn’t the fairy tale everyone wanted.
Looking forward
Standing under the famous Leichhardt grandstand in their custom t-shirts and homemade signs, this wasn’t the send-off the Bears faithful dreamed of. But there is a new horizon edging closer, with Perth now well and truly in focus. The core is young, hungry and battle-hardened by a campaign that pushed them to the brink. For now, it hurts. But as every Bears supporter knows, this club has risen from worse. Let’s wait and watch to see if the Newtown Jets’ 6 game winning streak can take them all the way to the grand final.
