Central Coast Rugby Union: Northlakes and The Bay pull off historic win

After being forced to merge just to survive, two Central Coast rugby clubs have marked a new era with a historic result.

The Northlakes/The Bay claimed their maiden first grade victory as a joint entity in the Central Coast Rugby Union. Picture: supplied

It has been a challenging year for The Bay and Northlakes rugby clubs, to say the least.

After being forced to come together in a merger just to compete in Central Coast Rugby Union division in 2025, the two clubs have been trying to walk the unusual tightrope of joining forces while also maintaining their own individual identities.

Things had also been testing on the field, with the joint club having won just two of its 12 matches across all four grades over the first three rounds of the season.

However there was plenty of reason to celebrate over the weekend as Northlakes/The Bay broke through for their first top grade win of the season – and indeed as a united entity – by defeating Warnervale 34-22 at Slade Park.

With several out due to suspension and injury, the joint venture relied on lower graders and the return of some old boys to grind out a famous 12-point win.

The Northlakes/The Bay in action against Ourimbah in round three. Picture: supplied

“It’s one of the best wins I’ve been involved in for a long, long time,” said The Bay president Andrew Long.

“In 16 years on the Coast, that’s one of the best wins I’ve seen from a group of men in a long time. It was one of the gutsiest wins by a club.

“And it was both clubs – they had to dig deep. The week before we had four blokes sent off, and the way the club responded was a credit to themselves and all the old boys.”

The victory in the top grade was a very welcome development for the clubs, who have been through plenty of difficulties and significant change in recent times.

After fielding limited numbers of teams in various different grades last year, the clubs were essentially forced to come together in 2025 after the Central Coast Rugby Union changes its rules and stipulated that clubs were required to field teams in the full complement grades – firsts, seconds, thirds and women’s – in order to compete this season.

And while the club is entered as Northlakes/The Bay on official team sheets, it is not a merger in the traditional sense, with both maintaining their individual identities and, to a certain extent, teams.

Northlakes provide the bulk of the first grade and women’s teams, while seconds and thirds are predominantly made up of The Bay players.

“We had two teams and Northlakes had ladies and first grade, so it’s working really well,” said Long, who noted that there has been increased crossover between the clubs in recent weeks.

“A few of the older Northlakes boys play in our third grade team with our boys and it’s the same in second grade,” he said.

“And there were three of The Bay boys who played first grade on the weekend, which gives me a lot of pride. They’re not first graders but they put their hand up when the going gets tough,” he added.

The second grade team play in a blended jersey with incorporating the colours from both clubs. Picture: supplied

“It was hard at the start but it’s working really well. There’s a lot of harmony, a lot of fun. On alternate weeks we go and do some training with each other on a Thursday night. It’s been a good start to the season and we’ll get better as the season goes on.”

In fact, a simple look at the playing jerseys shows just how complex the situation is.

The first grade and women’s teams play in the Northlakes colours of black and white with green gold and red trim, second grade has a blended jersey that incorporates The Bay’s blue and gold in with the Northlakes jersey, while third grade play in The Bay’s blue and gold.

In fact, the third grade team’s jersey features a tribute to former player Will Thurston, who tragically died while on holidays in Bali in February.

“The boys have dedicated their season to him and that’s brought a lot of players to the club. We came back two years ago and didn’t have a player but to have 40 plus players registered is good,” said Long.

The third grade side has dedicated its season to former teammate and friend Will Thurston. Picture: supplied

And while trying to mesh two clubs together in such a way has been challenging, Long said that some personal connections have helped make the transition that little bit easier.

“I spent five years at Northlakes helping to rebuild the club, so I’ve got history with them. A lot of the boys who play for The Bay have played for The Lakes over the years.

“It’s just rekindling old friendships to be able to enter the comp and satisfy the criteria, that’s how it came about. Both clubs are rebuilding.”

And although both clubs remain somewhat separate from each other for the time being, Long hasn’t ruled out a deeper amalgamation in the future.

The Northlakes/The Bay women's rugby union being cheered onto the field by third grade. Picture: supplied

“We’re just getting a feel to see if it will work but still keeping both of our club identities separate,” he said. “We’ve got to try and keep rugby alive in as many areas as we can. It takes time to build three (men’s) sides.”

Whatever the future holds, those involved in both clubs will be hoping for plenty more days like last Saturday.

“It’s hard work but you do it for the love of the game and you do it with a smile on your face. The game’s dying on the Coast and we’re trying our hardest to keep it going,” said Long.

“It’s a game I fell in love with for the right reasons. We’ve got to get back to that and that it’s played in the spirit of rugby. And that on the weekend was purely the rebirth of the spirit of rugby between Northlakes and The Bay.”