Badel reporting on twitter that the NRL have rejected the Bears bid...
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IT’S official — North Sydney’s brave battle to return to the big league is dead.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the Bears have been placed in NRL hibernation after a North Sydney consortium failed in its attempt to win the Gold Coast licence.

The Bears launched an ambitious $7 million bid to buy the Titans in March and formalised their plans last month when they were one of four consortia to submit a business proposal to the NRL.

Under the plan, North Sydney would return to the top flight as the Gold Coast Bears, with the club to play two or three home matches at North Sydney Oval.

But NRL hierarchy has put a red line through North Sydney’s proposal, ensuring Gold Coast fans will not see Titans games taken interstate.

The battle for the Titans licence is now a two-horse race between the Rebecca Frizelle-Darryl Kelly consortium and a secret Gold Coast-based businessman.

The Brisbane Bombers withdrew their $10m bid last week amid concerns over the long-term viability of a Titans club that is forecast to post another deficit next season.

The Norths development is a devastating blow for the famous foundation club.

Bears officials, led by general manager and former Test star Greg Florimo, have waged a 19-year fight to resurrect the club as an NRL force following North Sydney’s exit from the big league in 1999.

Ultimately, the very issue that led to their demise two decades ago — a lack of money — has cruelled them again.

It is understood the NRL had major concerns about the Bears’ latest bid after it emerged North Sydney Leagues Club, touted as key financial backers, had baulked at bankrolling a $7m buyout.

Without Norths Leagues’ support, the bid effectively fell over — ending any hope of the Bears reviving their 91-year existence in the big league.

Taking games away from Robina’s Cbus Super Stadium was another impediment. North Sydney faced paying a $110,000 levy to the Queensland government for every Titans home game that was shifted from the Robina complex.

The NRL will complete the sale of the Titans by the end of November with the governing body saying it is crucial the new owners are committed to the Gold Coast region.

“The final bids have been lodged and are currently being evaluated,” an NRL spokesman said.

“There will be a range of criteria which determine the best owners for the Titans.

“While the financial offer is one of those factors, we also want to do the best thing by the Gold Coast and their fans.

“We want the owners to have a genuine interest and support for the Gold Coast.”

Business tycoon Norm Black, whose company TripADeal sponsors the Titans, applauded the NRL’s decision to reject the Bears.

“The Gold Coast Bears would have been a disaster,” he said.

“It wouldn’t have worked. You can’t dilute the Titans brand. You are either a North Sydney supporter or a Titans supporter.

“They were poles apart.

“Look at what the game tried to do with the Northern Eagles. Geographically they (Norths and Manly) were side-by-side and it still didn’t work.”