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Bears Appoint New Coach

The Essential Coffee Burleigh Bears are pleased to announce the appointment of Rick Stone as Head Coach for the next two seasons.

The two-time Intrust Super Cup premiership-winning coach is no stranger to the Bears having previously coached over 200 games at the club from 1995 to 2005. In that time Stone lead the Club to premierships in 1999 and 2004.
Stone left the Bears in 2005 to take up an assistant coaching role with the Newcastle Knights where he ultimately became Head Coach. Stone has also held coaching positions with Huddersfield Giants (Super League), the Fiji Bati National Team, Sydney Roosters NRLW (2019) and is the current Lebanon National team Head Coach.

Bears CEO Damian Driscoll said the Club had been inundated with applications for the position and securing a coach of Stones ilk is the best outcome to lead the club forward.
“We are very excited to have Rick returning to the Club as Head Coach. Rick has a thorough knowledge of our Club and community, which are qualities that are important at the Bears.
Rick has an extensive coaching resume and we look forward to what he will bring to the Bears.’’ Driscoll said.

Stone said he was excited about the challenge of being back where it started.
“The Burleigh Bears mean a lot to me as they gave me my first opportunity to coach in the Intrust Super Cup. I have great memories from my previous time at the Club and look forward to more success. Jimmy (Lenihan) has left the club in great shape and I am excited to work with the current group of players and next generation of Intrust Super Cup players pushing through the Clubs Development system. There is a lot to look forward to.”

Rick Stone will be available for a media opportunity on Monday 11 November when he commences with the Bears. If you would like to speak to Rick before Monday he is available on 0417 769 939 or alternatively CEO Damian Driscoll is available on 0422663224.

Lenihan signing with Titans

Lenihan coach joins Titans as NRL Assistant Coach

Essential Coffee Burleigh Bears Head Coach Jimmy Lenihan will leave the Bears and take up a role with the Gold Coast Titans. The two-time Intrust Super Cup premiership-winning coach will join the Gold Coast’s NRL team as assistant Coach to Justin Holbrook.

Burleigh Bears Chief Executive Damian Driscoll said Lenihan deserved his opportunity in an NRL system, and said his new role with the Titans was a reward for Lenihan’s hard work, and a reflection of the quality of the Intrust Super Cup.

“Jimmy will absolutely be missed. He has been an integral part of the Burleigh Bears for a very long time,” Driscoll said. “But there is no more deserving person for this type of opportunity than Jimmy.

“He leaves the Bears in a terrific position, not just in regards to our success on the field, but the legacy he leaves behind around the Club’s culture and values that are at the heart of everything that we do at Burleigh.

“This opportunity is a fitting reward for all of Jimmy’s hard work, and an acknowledgement too of the great work we are doing as a Club to provide opportunities for everyone at the Bears to progress their careers to higher levels.

“The Intrust Super Cup is the breeding ground for the NRL stars of tomorrow – players and coaches. That development role is one that we are proud to play a part in.

“To see Jimmy reach the next step in his coaching career is another significant victory for the Burleigh Bears in a wonderful season.”

2020 Mal Meninga Coaching Staff Positions | APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

Burleigh Bears have just opened their 2020 Mal Meninga Coaching Staff Applications!

If you are interested in a position within the 2020 Mal Meninga coaching team please complete the forms below and email to roy@burleighbears.com.au

Applications close October, 11th.

We look forward to hearing from you! #WeAreBurleighBears

Strength and Conditioning Coach:

Strength & Conditioner Application 2020

Sports Trainer:

Representative Sports Trainer Application 2020

Buchanan and Costers Grand Final Baby Delivery

While the Bears continue to celebrate their Intrust Super Cup premiership success on Sunday, two members of the grand final winning team are also settling in with new additions to their family. 

Sam Coster and his partner Tayla welcomed daughter Elkie into the world on Wednesday, while Jack Buchanan’s wife Madeleine gave birth to their daughter Harper on Sunday morning. 

The Buchanan’s were up all night Saturday, with Harper arriving at 6.30am Sunday morning, before Jack hopped on the bus to play 55 minutes in the front row in a grand final winning Burleigh Bears team. 

“You can’t (top a day like this),” he said after the game. “It can’t get any better. This is as good as it gets. 

“It was a very long night. They’re both healthy, they’re both back in Tweed Heads – I wish they were here – but it’s unreal.” 

Sam and Tayla were also expecting their baby to arrive on grand final day, but Elkie instead arrived mid-week. 

“Obviously, this has been the best week of my life by far,” Coster said. 

“My partner Tayla went into labour on Tuesday and the baby came on Wednesday, so I was very lucky and blessed that little Elkie decided to come a little bit early. 

“It’s good just to work hard all year with this group of players and to be a part of a great club culture like this and be rewarded for it at the end of the year is what you train for and it’s just a perfect end to the year.” 

The Bears have become an incredibly tight group over recent years and coach Jimmy Lenihan spoke after their grand final win about his men’s ability to come together and support each other throughout personal milestones as well as on the field. 

“Bucky, I don’t think he slept last night and his baby arrived at 6.30 this morning,” Lenihan said. 

“Maddie did a wonderful job. She had a really long and intense labour. It’s been an overwhelming 24 hours for the group, and it’s been great to see their composure to knuckle down and get a job done.” 

Halfback Jamal Fogarty echoed those sentiments and said the closeness of the club off the field helps them find success together on the field. 

“It’s a very family orientated club and we all just work hard for each other,” he said. “If one family is going through a tough time, we all rally around and show that support and I think when the games get tough that’s what gets us through to the end.”

Jamal Fogarty and his 76th Minute Magic

Jamal Fogarty’s length of the field try in the 76th minute of the 2019 Intrust Super Cup grand final will live on in Bears folklore and was a moment the players on the field will never forget. 

The Bears already had a handy 12-point lead thanks to tries from Tyronne Roberts-Davis, Pat Politoni and a Kurtis Rowe double, but with the game on the line the Seagulls were coming back and throwing everything they had at the Burleigh defence. 

After scrambling to defend a handful of line breaks in the final stages, Fogarty held on to a Seagulls grubber kick and came out the other side with nobody in front of him. 

He ran the remaining 90 metres to score the try that sealed Burleigh’s fourth Intrust Super Cup premiership as his teammates looked on with a range of emotions. 

“I was absolutely stuffed and on my haunches, having just finished a set of six in defence, and Jamal regathered and broke through the line and I just had my hand in the air going ‘run Jamal! Run!” Bears captain Luke Page said. 

“I was stuck on the ten-metre line and he scored and from then I was just overwhelmed and brought to tears.” 

Page’s front row partner Jack Buchanan was similarly emotional, especially given he and his wife Madeleine had welcome daughter Harper into the world at 6.30am that same morning. 

“I couldn’t move,” he said. “I was stuck on the ten-metre line and I couldn’t move, I was just that overwhelmed. 

“It has been a massive 24 hours and I couldn’t have done it with a better bunch of blokes. I love them all.” 

Fullback Kurtis Rowe was named man of the match for his own heroics, which included two tries, two try-saving tackles and a crucial bit of improvisation that saved a certain 40/20 in the second half. 

It was his second premiership win with the club and as Fogarty streaked away, he found another dual premiership winner to embrace. 

“When I saw Jamal take-off I just turned around and I had Schwassy (Hayden) behind me,” he said. “I just gave him a big hug and said ‘yes, bro, we did it! It’s on!’” 

As for the man himself, he was typically humble and just pleased that he was able to outrun the chasing Wynnum Manly defenders and embrace his teammates at the end. 

“I think my little legs were getting speed wobbles,” Fogarty said. “And I saw the speed machine Edene Gebbie coming across and I thought ‘oh no, he’s got me!’ But I just kept going and I was quite surprised when I got there. 

“It was good to top off a big week, but we don’t play rugby league for individual awards and I’m just going to celebrate this one with the boys.” 

Fogarty’s match winner capped an incredible week that saw him win the Petero Civoniceva Medal for Intrust Super Cup player of the year on Friday night. 

Coach Jimmy Lenihan often talks about the football Gods, and he was beaming when talking about the rewards Fogarty has received this week. 

“He deserves it. It almost makes me emotional just talking about it,” he said. 

“For the amount of work, he puts into his game; you see a lot of young kids get paid a lot of money on their potential, but Jamal has worked through his potential and is now an even better player. 

“He’s a great defensive player. He’s an organiser and game-manager. His natural skills still shine; his speed, his passing and his agility is fantastic. 

“He is someone who really deserves an opportunity to play in a fulltime system. There is a lot of people getting paid a lot of money at a young age to do that, but he is right now somebody who is ready to fill in for anybody at a first-grade level and I’m sure once he gets his opportunity, he’ll prove his worth.”

From 2016 to 2019… 6 Bears have left their Paw Print on ISC History

Six Bears have etched their names into history, joining just three other club legends to win multiple Intrust Super Cup premierships at Burleigh. 

Until Sunday, Ali Brown, Shane O’Flanagan and Reggie Cressbrook were the only Bears to ever play in two grand final winning sides, but that number has now jumped to nine after Burleigh’s 28-10 win over Wynnum Manly. 

Kurtis Rowe, Sami Sauiluma, Jamal Fogarty, Luke Page, Pat Politoni and Hayden Schwass were all members of the 2016 premiership winning team and were there again to lift the shield at Dolphin Stadium on Sunday. 

Jeff Lynch and Josh Ailaomai didn’t play on Sunday, but they contributed heavily to the team’s success throughout the year and are the other two remaining members of the 2016 squad. 

They’ve all been at the club long term and four years later seem more ready to fully embrace when success comes their way. 

“We’re an even tighter group now compared to 2016,” Rowe said. “I just love playing with the likes of Jamal, Sami, Pagey, Patty Politoni – all those boys that have been here for the last four years. We’re just getting closer and closer each year.” 

Page, who has been skipper since 2017, became the ninth Bear to play 100 Intrust Super Cup games for the club at the end of the 2018 season. 

He’s the longest serving member of the ‘dual premiers’ club and believes that more success is on the horizon for his close-knit team. 

“To be a premiership winning captain is just overwhelming,” he said. “I was brought to tears as soon as the buzzer went. I’m so proud of the boys. This is why we play rugby league. 

“We’ve got a good core group of boys and we’re all signed for next year, so we’re going again baby!” 

While six players are now two-time premiership winners, so too is their coach, Jimmy Lenihan. 

Rick Stone coached the Bears to glory in 1999 and 2004, and Lenihan’s wins in 2016 and 2019 matches him as the club’s most successful coach. 

“I never thought I’d ever get one. Once upon a time I never thought I’d ever even make the finals,” he said. 

“But I’m so proud of the club. Everyone works so hard to make the club what it is. I couldn’t be prouder of the players; our coaching staff does such a great job and then our coaching staff through all the grades as well. 

“We’re very proud of the people that we are and the reputation that we have carved out for ourselves.”