Brisbane Australian Football Club

Names
Full name	Brisbane Australian Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Bears
Season {{{season}}}
Position	-
Top Goalkicker	-
Best & Fairest	-
Club Details
Founded	1986
Competition	Australian Football League
Chairman	-
Coach	-
Captain(s)	-
Ground(s)	Carrara Stadium (17,000)
	Brisbane Cricket Ground (42,000)
Other information
Official website	-

Brisbane Bears were an Australian rules football Club and was the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League. The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest Carrara Stadium or Carrara Sports Complex is a sporting venue on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of The 'Gabba is a major sports Stadium in the Queensland capital of Brisbane. Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players It played its first match in 1987, but struggled on and off the field until it made the finals for the first time in 1995. The Bears merged with the Fitzroy Football Club after the completion of the following season to form the Brisbane Lions. Fitzroy Football Club, most recently nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) is an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane

History

In 1986, the VFL Commission announced plans to set up privately owned clubs based in Perth and Brisbane, motivated by the need to sell multimillion-dollar licences to save a number of Victorian clubs which were struggling financially. The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland A consortium headed by former actor Paul Cronin and bankrolled by entrepreneur Christopher Skase was controversially awarded the Brisbane licence. For the American politician see Paul W Cronin. Paul Cronin (born July 8, 1938) is an Australian actor who shot Christopher Charles Skase ( September 18, 1948 - August 5, 2001) was an Australian businessman who later became one of his country's Not long afterwards, the club was officially announced as the Brisbane Bears, signing recently-retired Hawthorn player Peter Knights as coach, and unveiling an innovative playing strip consisting of a gold with a maroon yoke and a triangular "BB" logo intended to represent a stylised map of the club's home state, Queensland, with the outline of a koala head appearing inside of the larger B. Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed The Hawks, are an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL founded in 1902 Peter Knights (born 30 March 1952 is a former Australian rules footballer and coach The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus is a thickset Arboreal Marsupial herbivore native to Australia, and the only extant

The choice of the koala as a mascot and moniker was often mocked and tagged tacky as the Australian marsupial animal is not a bear and is typically sedate and hardly ferocious. Despite this, the bear appeared roaring on many of the marketing and promotional materials for the side, including the club's official VFL logo [1]. However, regardless of such marketing, the team's poor on-field performances in the first 7 years allowed the Bears' mascot to be targeted gratuitously, with nicknames like "The Bad News Bears" and "The Carrara Koalas".

The new club was given very little time in which to set itself up, with few players and no home ground. No venue in Brisbane was suitable (the Gabba was encircled by a greyhound track at the time) and so the Bears based themselves at Carrara Oval, an hour's drive south-east of Brisbane on the Gold Coast. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland The 'Gabba is a major sports Stadium in the Queensland capital of Brisbane. Carrara Stadium or Carrara Sports Complex is a sporting venue on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of This article is about the Australian city Gold Coast For other uses see Gold Coast. Temporary stands, club rooms and facilities were hastily erected on the slopes surrounding the field.

Carrara was very convenient for Christopher Skase, now acknowledged as the owner of the club. To Skase, the Bears were another outpost in his media and leisure empire which also included the Mirage resorts (one of which was very close to Carrara) and the TV0 television station (later sold to acquire the Seven Network), official broadcasters of the VFL. The Seven Network is an Australian television network, owned by the Seven Media Group.

Unlike their fellow new boys, the West Coast Eagles, the Bears did not have a large reserve of local players from which to draw on, and so the VFL arranged for every other club to provide at least two players. West Coast Eagles Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League. Understandably, other clubs were averse to providing topline players and few of the players provided were of any use. Indeed, some of them had long-term injuries and one or two had already announced their retirement. Skase opened his chequebook and the Bears pursued a number of stars aggressively. They were rewarded with a few key signings, including Collingwood's captain Mark Williams, and 1985 Brownlow Medallist Brad Hardie. Collingwood Football Club, officially nicknamed The Magpies is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. Mark Melville "Choco" Williams (born 21 August 1958 is a former Australian rules footballer and currently the coach of the Port Adelaide Football Club in For the list of winners of the award see List of Brownlow Medal winners. Brad Hardie (born 10 October 1962 is a former Australian rules footballer and current radio commentator However a significant proportion of the player list was recruited from the SANFL and WAFL and was unused to playing football at this level. Clubs Several clubs share their nicknames with AFL/VFL clubs This is purely coincidental the teams are not named after each other Current teams The teams currently playing in the WAFL are Salary Cap The WAFL is classed as a Semi-professional competition and has a Salary

As a result, there was general surprise if not shock when this rag-tag band of cast-offs, widely tipped to finish last, won their first game against North Melbourne at the MCG in the first round of 1987. North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. They also won their second game, against Geelong at Kardinia Park, leading to much optimism. Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in the city of Geelong. Not to be confused with Skilled Park, home ground of the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL. After 5 rounds they had won 3 games. However, as the season progressed the players' inexperience became more and more apparent, sliding to the bottom of the ladder by round 20. In the final round they won a playoff with Richmond to avoid the wooden spoon in their first season, finishing with 6 wins. Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, competes in the Australian Football League.

The club again recruited aggressively, landing Essendon's enforcer Roger Merrett and Sydney's glamour spearhead Warwick Capper. Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club and is part of the Australian Football League. Roger Merrett (born 19 April 1960 was an Australian rules footballer who played in two Victorian Football League premiership sides with the Essendon Football The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL club based in Sydney, New South Wales. However, the Bears failed to learn the lessons taught during their first season. In 1988 and 1989, the club suffered some severe beatings and Knights was sacked with eight rounds to play in 1989. Club psychologist Paul Feltham took charge of the team for the remainder of the year. Paul Feltham (born 2 October 1946 is a sport psychologist and former Australian rules footballer and coach

The club was also under severe financial pressure. Attendance had been very poor due to the diabolical performance of the team and the travel required to get to Carrara. The collapse of Skase's business empire and his sudden departure for Spain in late 1989 almost resulted in the death of the Bears. Over the ensuing preseason the players threatened strike action, but Cronin resigned, the club was taken over by the AFL, re-sold to Gold Coast businessman Reuben Pelerman, and the crisis was averted. With former Fitzroy player Norm Dare appointed coach, the club battled on. Norm Dare (born 10 September 1948 is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy in the VFL.

The near-loss of the club appeared to galvanise the AFL into action. Having almost killed the club through neglect, the AFL now spent significant amounts of money to help the Bears. The club was provided with priority draft picks and special recruiting zones to give it access to some of the nation's best talent, which over the next few years allowed the club to recruit future stars such as Michael Voss, Jason Akermanis, Clark Keating, Steven Lawrence and Darryl White. Michael Voss (born 7 July 1975 is the senior coach of the Brisbane Lions and also a former Australian rules footballer usually playing midfield for Australian Jason "Aka" Akermanis (born 24 February 1977 is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for the Western Bulldogs. Clark Anthony Keating (born 19 March 1976 was an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. Steven James Lawrence (born 19 May 1976 is an Australian rules footballer He is the son of former St Kilda star Barry Lawrence. Darryl White (born 12 June 1973 is an Australian rules footballer whose career with the Brisbane Bears and Lions in the Australian Football League

Former premiership coach Robert Walls was installed as coach for the 1991 season and immediately set about getting rid of the dead wood around the club. Robert Walls (born 21 July 1950 is a former Australian rules footballer and coach who now works primarily as a television commentator and newspaper columnist on the sport Having inherited the oldest list in the league, by the end of the season he had the youngest. He insisted that the Bears not bend over to the will of powerful Victorian clubs in recruitment matters, particularly in the case of young Northern Territorian Nathan Buckley. Nathan Charles Buckley (born 26 July 1972 is a former champion Australian rules football player who played primarily as a Midfielder, for the Brisbane At the time of his recruitment, Buckley was clearly the best player in the country not playing in the AFL, and his signing was a coup for the club. Signed on a one-year contract, his manager stipulated that he would be released to the club of his choice if he so desired at the completion of the contract. At the end of the contract he was cleared to Collingwood as he had requested, but not without suitable compensation in the form of premiership centre-half forward Craig Starcevich, goalsneak Troy Lehmann and an early draft pick which the Bears used to snare future star Chris Scott. Collingwood Football Club, officially nicknamed The Magpies is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. Craig Starcevich (born 16 May 1967 is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL and currently a fitness trainer Christopher Michael "Chris" Scott (born 3 May 1976 is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.

Things were changing off-field too. Pelerman, who was losing millions of dollars annually on the club, agreed to release the Bears from private ownership and revert to a traditional club structure in which the club's members were able to elect the board. In 1992, the club ditched its ridiculed "BB" teddy-bear jumper in favour of a predominantly maroon strip with a gold V and white trim. And more significantly, the Bears moved permanently to the Gabba in Brisbane for the 1993 season and membership and attendances instantly tripled. The 'Gabba is a major sports Stadium in the Queensland capital of Brisbane. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland The greyhound track around the ground was removed, the surface upgraded and the stands gradually replaced over the next few years with a view to converting the tired old ground to a state-of-the-art sporting facility.

However on-field results were still elusive. In 1994, however, the Bears began to show signs of a competitive side and were contenders for a finals berth before falling away in the last five games of the season. Walls announced his resignation halfway through the 1995 season, but committed himself to seeing out the year. By three-quarter time in round 16 the Bears were 45 points behind Hawthorn, third-last on the ladder and another mediocre placing seemed inevitable. Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed The Hawks, are an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL founded in 1902 Astoundingly, the Bears rallied to win the match by 7 points and won all bar one match for the rest of the home-and-away season to scrape into the finals for the very first time. The team was not disgraced to go down to eventual premiers Carlton by 13 points in their first-ever final. Carlton Football Club, nicknamed The Blues, is the third oldest club in the Australian Football League and one of the oldest Australian rules football A club that had become a laughing stock was beginning to find its feet.

Inspired by their barnstorming finish to the season, the Bears, now coached by John Northey, had an excellent 1996 season, culminating in two finals wins (both at the Gabba) and a loss in the Preliminary Final to eventual premiers North Melbourne. John "Swooper" Northey (born 29 June 1943 is a former Australian rules football player and coach Michael Voss was awarded the Brownlow Medal, sharing the honour with Essendon's James Hird. For the list of winners of the award see List of Brownlow Medal winners. James Alan Hird (born 4 February 1973 is a retired Australian rules footballer and the former captain of the Essendon Football Club.

Behind the scenes, however, things were less rosy. The club was still struggling financially and was running out of opportunities to generate revenue. One of the Bears' biggest problems was its lack of support (both on and off the field) in Melbourne, the location of most of its away matches. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 When Fitzroy collapsed due to financial pressures an opportunity to alleviate that problem presented itself. Fitzroy Football Club, most recently nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne Fitzroy needed to merge its assets with another club, and when a merger with North Melbourne failed to win the support of the other AFL clubs, the Bears stepped into the breach and the Brisbane Lions were born. Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club (the trading name for the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy Football Club) is an Australian Football League club based in Brisbane 1996 would be the last season for the Bears and Fitzroy as individual entities, however the histories and traditions of both would be carried into the future by the new merged entity.

Club facts

Mascot

Koala (Koalas are not actually part of the bear family, despite their bear-like appearance - they are marsupials)

Colours

• Maroon, Gold and White. The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus is a thickset Arboreal Marsupial herbivore native to Australia, and the only extant

Premierships

Reserves 1991

Wooden spoons

• 1990
• 1991

Individual awards

• Darryl White - Goal of the Year (1992)
• Nathan Buckley - AFL Rising Star (1993)
• Chris Scott - AFL Rising Star (1994)
• Michael Voss - Brownlow Medal (1996), All-Australian (1996)
• Craig Lambert - All-Australian (1996)

Honour roll

Statistics

• Total matches played: 222 (65 wins, 1 draws, 141 losses)
• Highest score: 33. 21 (219) vs Sydney, Round 8, 1993
• Lowest score: 2. The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL club based in Sydney, New South Wales. 5 (17) vs Hawthorn, Round 12, 1988
• Greatest winning margin: 162 points vs Sydney, Round 8, 1993
• Greatest losing margin: 164 points vs Geelong, Round 7, 1992
• Longest winning streak: 7 (Round 15 to Round 21, 1996)
• Longest losing streak: 12 (Round 20 1990 to Round 10, 1991)
• Highest ladder position at end of season: Third, 1996
• Biggest crowd: 66,719 vs North Melbourne, Preliminary Final 1996
• Biggest home crowd: 21,964 vs Essendon (Brisbane Cricket Ground), Qualifying Final 1996

Club jumpers

The first two designs had the colours inverted for away matches. Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed The Hawks, are an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League (AFL founded in 1902 The Sydney Swans is an Australian Football League (AFL club based in Sydney, New South Wales. Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in the city of Geelong. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club and is part of the Australian Football League. The 'Gabba is a major sports Stadium in the Queensland capital of Brisbane.

See also

• Notable Players
• Wikipedia listing of Brisbane Bears players

References

Fitzgerald, R. This is a list of players to play for the Brisbane Bears, a now-defunct club in the Australian Football League. (1996). The Footy Club: Inside the Brisbane Bears. Brisbane, Australia: UQP. ISBN 0-7022-2904-0.  

External links

• Full Points Footy History of the Brisbane Football Club
• History of Brisbane Bears from Brisbane Lions website