Bring back the Bears, NRL fans demand
Nick Walshaw
The Daily Telegraph
March 03, 2010 12:00AM
DAVID Fairleigh already has his office. Has his stadium, peerless medical facilities and an NRL hit list headed by young Eels superstar Daniel Mortimer.
"Yeah, about the only thing I don't have right now is a team," Fairleigh grins. "But we know if we keep working hard, keep ticking off the boxes ... well, whenever expansion is mentioned we want people thinking the Central Coast Bears."
Consider the job done.
Because in the most overwhelming result of the The Daily Telegraph's 2010 fan survey, a staggering 78 per cent have demanded NRL boss David Gallop expand the competition to include a Bears team. Almost 8000 supporters cast their votes on the game's biggest issues, with the results including:
* KANGAROOS superstars Jarryd Hayne and Greg Inglis tied as the game's premier players;
* COWBOYS recruit Willie Mason named most over-rated; and
* PARRAMATTA workhorse Nathan Hindmarsh voted the game's toughest player.
But it's the Bears result that's sounding loudest in the corridors of NRL headquarters, with the survey result coming just four days after 18,000 fans converged on Central Coast Stadium for two trial matches.
"To have almost 80 per cent support among the game's fan base ... mate, awesome," Bears chief executive Greg Florimo said last night. "It's great validation for what we're doing. Another arrow in our quiver, if you like.
We're extremely happy with the way everything's coming along and we're certainly well ahead of where we planned to be this time 18 months ago."
While 2013 has been targeted by the Bears for entry into an expanded NRL, both Florimo and Bears coach Fairleigh are adamant they can be ready to go a season earlier if given a green light.
The Central Coast franchise has already secured major sponsors Mortgage House, Fone Zone and financial advisers Fortunity, and The Daily Telegraph understands another five corporations are involved in partnership negotiations.
"The two things we're really focused on right now is projecting a compelling case to the NRL and ensuring we're sustainable," Fairleigh said. "We're not going into this thing wishy-washy ... when it comes time to talk expansion we want to ensure it's the Bears."
The Central Coast bid team already has heavyweight supporters including St George Illawarra coach Wayne Bennett and league legends Andrew Johns, Wally Lewis, Peter Sterling and Wayne Pearce.
