0°C | Thursday November 13, 2025 
4 August 2025
North Sydney Bears
Hovering around the top 8, Norths desperately needed a win at home against the Newcastle Knights. In wet conditions, the Knights were the first to score, crossing in the 7th minute. Not long after, the Bears responded thanks to Marion Seve’s first of three tries. In the 17th minute, Norths were over again when Jesse Marschke danced his way to the line. The game got a little bogged down in the conditions until the Knights scored again in the 25th minute. Down 10-8, the Bears rallied into the half-time break with tries to Matt Stimson and another from Seve. At the break, it was 20-8 for the home side.
Seve showed why he has been featuring in the Melbourne Storm’s NRL squad this year, finishing his hat trick off in the 37th minute. Newcastle managed to pull two tries back in the 58th and 74th minutes, but Norths would put the icing on the cake after the final siren when Aitasi James dived over. With that, Norths claimed the win 32-18 and jumped into 9th on the ladder. Next week, they will travel to Kellyville to face Parramatta with only 4 rounds remaining in the season.
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North Shore Bombers
Both Bombers sides were looking to make it two wins from two matchups when they hosted Sydney Uni at Gore Hill Oval.
The women’s side started strongly, establishing a 15-point lead by the first break. University fought back in the second quarter, narrowing the margin to 9 points by half-time. However, the Bombers’ renowned defense then stifled University, holding them to just 2 behinds in the entire second half. This defensive dominance allowed North Shore to continue their push towards a Minor Premiership and a valuable week off.
North Shore had five players register a goal each, for a gritty 21-point win. Final scores were North Shore 5.5.35 to Sydney University 2.2.14. The Bombers’ best players were Isadora McLeay, Lucy Yates, Charlotte Tidemann, Amelia Rainbow, Matilda Eder, and Emily Bliss.
The Bombers boys were aiming to maintain their top position in the men’s division and delivered a dominant performance. They established a commanding 29-point lead in the first quarter and proceeded to kick 15 goals to 3 in the remaining three quarters.
Max Thomas and Max Yeoland kicked 4 goals each and were well-supported by the dependable Matt Buskariol, who chipped in with 3 goals. This was their second blowout victory in a row, showing they are the team to beat this year with a 104-point thrashing of fourth-placed Uni. North Shore 21.18.144 to Sydney University 5.10.40.
North Shore’s best players were Ned Campbell, Jake Veale, Max Yeoland, Cooper Donald, Max Thomas, and Fraser Thurlow.
With both squads sitting top of their tables, the men will travel to face Inner West Magpies next week, while the women have a bye.
Norths Rugby
The Shoremen have been on fire as of late as they look to make a finals run. They headed out west to face the Two Blues in shocking wet and cold conditions.
James Margan continued to prove he is one of the best try-scoring forwards in the league, diving over 9 minutes in for Norths. A penalty goal in the 20th minute, followed by yet another Margan try, had Norths up 0-15 half an hour in. The Two Blues would finally cross just before the half-time break.
The boys from the west were again over 5 minutes into the 2nd half, narrowing the margin. 64 minutes in, a rolling maul off a lineout saw Sam Kitchen score. All season Norths have used this move to perfection, resulting in countless tries. The Two Blues barged over again in the 69th minute, making it a close 19-22 margin. In the 73rd minute, a marvelous kick chase from Carrick McDonough led to a penalty, setting the field position Norths needed to trap the Two Blues downfield. This pressure eventually set up Callum Sirker for a mammoth 50-metre try off a kick return in the 75th minute. This proved to be enough to secure a Norths victory, 19-29. With one game left in the regular season, Norths now jump to 4th on the ladder and will face a big test next week against Warringah at North Sydney Oval.
Norths Basketball
Week 2 of the NBL1 Finals had the Norths boys taking on the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Canberra. In yet another win-or-go-home scenario, Norths came into the game focused, knowing they were facing some of the best young talent in the country and a chance to advance to the preliminary finals. CoE came out of the tip-off firing, jumping to a 27-18 lead in the first quarter. Norths were playing well but the CoE just had their eye in, especially from three-point range. A 27-25 second quarter helped extend CoE’s lead before the half-time break.
Norths were up for the fight in the third quarter, with Matt Wacher and Lachie Bofinger leading the way. Both players would end the game with 20 points each. But it was star Austin Patterson who stepped up the most with 27 points. Despite these gutsy performances, it just wasn’t enough to keep the Bears’ season alive, falling 97-88. There wasn’t much to fault about Norths’ performance; CoE were just on fire and advancing. For the Bear men, they wrap up a season that started roughly but miraculously turned around into a finals run. There are plenty of bright spots for next season.
Meanwhile, the women’s side had the week off after advancing to the preliminary finals last week. They will face CoE at home this Saturday, with a chance to make it through to the grand final.