The return of the North Sydney Bears could be sooner than imagined with Bears chairman Daniel Dickson confident they will be one of the expansion teams.
Out of the NRL since 1999, the North Sydney fanbase has remained loud and proud through its NSW Cup side.
Established in 1908, the foundation club merged with arch-rivals Manly to create the Northern Eagles in 1999 before officially exiting the competition in 2003.
As the Dolphins entered the competition this year, Bears chairman Daniel Dickson is a heavy believer that his club should be next when it comes to picking the 18th team to enter the NRL.
"We've done all the work we needed to do, we're just sitting and wait so when they say, ‘let's go', we're going to be in the best possible position," he said speaking to SEN 1170 Mornings.
"Let's look at what the NRL needs, forget what we need at the moment, if the NRL doesn't get what they need we're nowhere."
"We know that we've got some pretty passionate fans, we're a foundation club, 115 years of history and heritage there, (there's) been over 100 legends for the club."
During its time in the NRL competition, the Bears produced many great talents. It has also had some of the best players of all time play for them. This includes Rugby League Team of the Century winger Ken Irvine.
If possible, the Bears are hoping to return to the NRL by 2025. Preparing a bid to become the next expansion side, the club formed a partnership with Cricket New South Wales to revamp their home ground, North Sydney Oval.
