Because I like the people of the Central Coast and love visiting their region, I am going to give them the best advice they will ever receive: Whatever you do, don’t invite the North Sydney Bears to be part of your NRL future.
Don’t let them anywhere near the joint unless you want to see the push for a team up there end up in more ruin than Belinda Neal at Iguana Joe's.
I hope the Central Coast gets its own team one day but why should the poor old North Sydney Bears be foisted upon them?
I'd be filthy if I was a genuine rugby league supporter living in Gosford or Avoca or Budgewoi and they told me the Central Coast was getting a team and it was…wait for it… the great North Sydney.
Talk about backing a loser.
Manly jumped into bed with Norths for the ill-fated Northern Eagles venture 10 years ago and it was like being forced to have sex with Miss Piggy.
While I admire the passion of people like Greg Florimo – the CEO of a club that is no club – I just wish the poor old Bears would cop their medicine and just leave us with the memories.
Memories of failure after failure and two premierships – way back in 1921-22 - in 100 years.
I noted with interest that the sell-out crowd at Bluetongue Stadium for last week's Manly-Tigers clash had some suggesting it somehow underlined the passion Central Coast people had for rugby league.
Manly's tracking of ticket sales indicates the crowd was basically supporters from the Tigers and Sea Eagles who travelled north for the day.
It was not a Central Coast crowd saying, 'hey, we're going to support rugby league'.
It was the first sellout since 2000 when the Northern Eagles took on Newcastle.
Before Sunday, the four previous games there this year averaged 12,002.
The Tigers had won five in a row, Manly had to win, there is no love lost between the clubs, they are two outstanding sides.
It was going to attract a big turnout whether it was played at Brookvale, Campbelltown, Leichhardt or Gosford.
I didn’t see anything last Sunday that indicated a team moving to the Central Coast would fill it week in, week out.
By all means give them their own teams, with their own colours and identity but don’t invite Norths to the party.
Anyway, enough of the poor old Bears and onto this week's round 21 match-ups between clubs that are actually playing in the NRL.
My winners are: Souths, Penrith, Roosters, Tigers, Warriors, Storm, Broncos and Sea Eagles.
If you want a bit more loot, raid the biscuit tin and put whatever you can on the Roosters to beat the Eels with the start.
See you next week.