3 March 2026
The North Sydney Bears have announced they will be hosting nine NSW Cup games at the iconic North Sydney Oval this upcoming rugby league season. 2026 will mark the 116th season the Bears have called North Sydney Oval home.
Round 6: vs. Canberra Raiders (Sunday, 12 April)
Bears fans will have to wait until round 6 to see their side run around at Bear Park. With the cricket pitch gone for the winter, Norths welcome the boys from the nation’s capital in a rematch of the notorious 1994 preliminary final. On that day both golden generations went head to head. As for the result, no comment.
Round 11: vs. Sydney Roosters (Saturday, 16 May)
The Beer Footy Food festival is back for another year at Bear Park! Several Sydney Breweries will be serving up cold ones, alongside some of the best food trucks in the city. What’s on the menu? Roast chook? Both foundation clubs, Norths and Easts have a long and storied history, most recently through a feeder club arrangement from 2019-2022.
Round 12: vs. South Sydney Rabbitohs (Sunday, 24 May)
It’s North vs South as these two foundation clubs go head to head for the Mario Fenech Cup. The Falcon is a legend and fan favourite who represented both sides. These two clubs have a strong shared history with the Bears previously serving as the Rabbitohs feeder club. On top of that this will be a rematch of the 2023 NSW Cup Grand Final.
Round 16: vs. Penrith Panthers (Sunday, 21 June)
The Bears will be at home for Women in League Round, celebrating the contribution of women to the game as well as fundraising for breast cancer foundations. The Pink Panthers will be making the journey from the foot of the mountains to the shores of the harbour.
Round 18: vs. Newtown Jets (Sunday, 5 July)
Comrades off the field but rivals on the field. Fellow battlers, the mighty Blue Bags are always welcome at North Sydney Oval! This will be game 1 in the annual Frank Hyde Shield as well as Members Round. Hyde played for both Newtown and Norths in the 30s and 40s as well as coaching the Bears before going on to become a legendary Rugby League broadcaster. The game is also a rematch of the 1943 NSWRL grand final, the last first grade grand final the Bears were in. More recently, the two sides also met in the 2024 NSW Cup Grand Final.
Round 19: vs. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (Sunday, 12 July)
The club from the dark side of the Spit Bridge make the journey to Bear Park. The derby will be marked by Bears Legends Day, with no doubt plenty of Old Bears will be giving the Silvertails a piece of their minds. This rivalry runs deep, all the way back to 1947, when Manly broke away from Norths to form their own club. Fast forward to 2002, and the Sea Eagles sealed the Bears NRL death after pulling out of the ill fated Northern Eagles merger.
Round 21: vs. St George Illawarra Dragons (Sunday, 26 July)
The Dragons will be in town for Community Partners Round with a focus on inclusion for the disability community. The is a unique initiative spearheaded by disability service Danny Met Sally as well as Mary’s House Services. The day celebrates the unifying spirit of the club in the local community and supports organisations doing amazing work in the area and beyond.
Round 24: vs. Parramatta Eels (Sunday, 16 August)
The Eels take a long swim down the Parramatta River to the North Shore. The North Sydney Sun is unofficially naming this game the Buettner Bowl after pacy utility back Michael Buettner. Michael played 95 games for the Bears from 1996–1999 before joining Parramatta for two seasons, playing in their 2001 Grand Final team. He was one of three players who joined the Eels after Norths merged with Manly. The other two being the legendary Gary Larson and Glenn ‘the silver surfer’ Morrison.
Round 26: vs. Melbourne Storm (Saturday, 29 August)
The final game of the regular season, Victoria’s finest will be dropping into North Sydney Oval. In fact, the Storm was the last team Norths played their final game in the top grade at the oval in round 25 of the 1999 NRL season. On that day the Bears snuck home with a 4 point victory.