'I was really nervous': Oscar Turner stands tall under intense pressure

As has been well documented, their first grade side is on a run of eight-straight and looking for a ninth in 2024. Their women are coming off a scintillating grand final win in 2023. But their under 18s have been out of action since 2019.

That is, until Saturday.

And even though it was just a trial game against the Narwan Eels, centre Oscar Turner felt the weight of the occasion.

"I was really nervous, and I don't usually get nervous," Turner said.

"But it feels good, it feels like we've got a good spark coming into the season, especially as the first 18s side in five years."

Now in his second year with the side, Turner originally played for the Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters but moved over to the Bears when his good mate, Seth Pearson, did the same last season.

At just 16 years old, the Calrossy student is one of the younger members of the side.

But his youth didn't prevent him from putting on a clinic against the Eels, which included three tries in Norths' 50-4 drubbing of the visitors at Jack Woolaston Oval.

So impressive was his performance that Bears coach Jermain Walford named Turner his player of the match.

"He scored three tries and all came off set plays," Walford said.

"He didn't give up on the play, and it was phenomenal to see. It just shows that speed burns."

Turner's performance bodes well for the upcoming season, but more importantly for the young man, he felt at home in black and red.

Ever since he first signed up with the Bears, the Tamworth product said Walford and his teammates were "really welcoming".

"He and all the boys treat me like family," Turner said. "It's just a good place."

While Norths were unquestionably the better side in their first hit-out for five years, the scorecard is deceptively lopsided.

The match was competitive from the outset, and particularly in the first half, the Bears made several errors and let the pressure of the moment get to them.

"In the first half, we messed up and were dropping balls and making mistakes," Turner said.

"We got spoken to by Jermain in that first break and really just switched on and gave it a good crack."

Tempers flared early in the second period of the three-term game, with a player from each side sin-binned after things got physical on the field. Words were subsequently exchanged on the sidelines, but Walford was proud of the way his boys didn't let themselves get sidetracked by the altercation.

"The first [two thirds] were scrappy, a little bit of niggle in there," he said.

"But in the [final term], it was about holding the ball, ball security, and no tries. So credit to the boys, and I'm proud of all their efforts."