Starting as an idea by a university
student who to begin with struggled to get numbers onto the training ground,
the Bears grew into the prime force of Australian Football in the West
Midlands. This was made possible by the heart, grit and determination of
everybody who pulled on the blue and gold this year. The team itself
featured only one Australian but this became irrelevant as the season
progressed as it was easy to see that improvements were being made all of
the time.
Games of domination such as the wins against teams like Leeds and Liverpool
along with thrillers against the Rams gave the Bears a true footy experience
and brought the players down to earth over everything that occurs in footy.
The players should be commended for taking each game week by week and
responding in the best way.
One of the negatives in 2009 was the fact that there was a depleted number
of players on game days, which hampered the Bears in the big games of the
competition. However, despite these odds, the Bears pulled through as best
they could, putting in strong performances with reduced numbers and never
giving up until the final siren.
For the Birmingham Bears, 2009 was a year to remember. The ARUK Central
Division was dominated by the eventual premiers, the Huddersfield Rams,
however the Bears were easily the only team to give them a scare at all this
year. Despite falling short in the final game of the year, the Bears have
earned the respect of every team in the competition and are definitely in
contention to win a flag within the next couple of seasons.
The next step is to remember 2009 as something that was. Remember the
feeling, bottle it and sell it every time you head onto the field in 2010.
Season rating: A-
(one kneecap away from an A*)