The North Sydney Bears arrive at Figtree's Collegians Sports Complex on Saturday, trying to keep setting the NSW Cup pace by beating the Dragons.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's far from the heady days of Greg Florimo, Jason Taylor and David Fairleigh, though Paul Momirovski has NRL experience, so too St George Illawarra's Jayden Sullivan, Michael Molo, Jaiyden Hunt and Zane Musgrove.
But it's strange to think in just two, or perhaps four years, the two famous sets of rugby league colours could face off in the NRL again.
It could be in Perth, it could in Brisbane, maybe Cairns, or North Sydney Oval, but this is part of the Bears' pitch to rejoin the competition.
They've become rugby league evangelists, taking the word to any new frontier when called upon.
"For us, it's not just about, 'we'll go anywhere', we do have some non-negotiables and why would you use a club like the Bears and change the colours and the logos?" North Sydney chairman Daniel Dickson told SEN Sydney recently.
"What I think it is, it's more about saying, 'we're agile enough to know that it won't just be placed in North Sydney'.
"It's not changing the course for us, but it's not for us to decide where we go, all we're saying is we are in a position where can be more on the road and we'll find a right place where the NRL needs us to be."
Aside from being a second-tier feeder club in recent times, the Bears and their true believers have suffered since the collapse of the Northern Eagles.
Manly were ruthless in uncoupling the two northern beaches clubs and reclaiming their own identity.
But they've also, despite some off-field, administration and coaching turmoil over the years, been the best of the post-Super League joint venture entities.
They've won two premierships since and are a force this year.
In contrast, the Wests Tigers won a title in 2005 but have struggled ever since, never more so than now.
ARL Commission chairman Peter V'Landys has raised the prospect of further expansion and establishing a 20-team competition.
It raises the tricky question of where the other three teams would be placed, assuming the Bears are one of them.
A Pasifika or Papua New Guinea team, Perth, another Brisbane outfit or a second New Zealand club all have merit in their own ways.
But if the Bears return, what would it say about the prospect of the Steelers ever coming back?
The normally straight-faced former NRL boss David Gallop once laughed at me when I asked him about it.
It may be a different time and a different place, but there's presently no appetite for wanting St George and Illawarra to stand alone again.
The Illawarra is in its best position, possibly ever, once the new $50 million high performance centre opens.
The region still delivers stars of the game, even if many of them aren't wearing red and white.
But while there's still friction sometimes between the Kogarah blazer wearers, WIN Corporation and Steelers loyalists, they have a workable agreement.
Besides, if the Steelers were brought in as the 20th team, what would the Dragons do?
St George has a storied history, but little to offer in terms of player development and their days of the Leagues Club being powerful are long gone.
The NRL's expansion model is to decentralise the game, rather than go back to the future.
Steelers tragics may romanticise about an NRL return, as Keeley Davis and Alicia-Kate Hawke realised their dream by putting Illawarra into the NSW Women's competition.
The Steelers will play at Collies at midday, before the Dragons-Bears NSW Cup clash at 1.45pm.
WIN Corporation's recommitment to naming rights at the WIN Stadium and Entertainment Centre precinct should now pave the way for the major upgrades needed to be international-class venues.
Unlike the Bears, the Illawarra will get to keep its geographical base as a rugby league heartland for generations to come.
But it will be as the Dragons.
Our news app has had a makeover, making it faster and giving you access to even more great content. Download The Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store and Google Play.
