By Matt Findlay

The long-standing rivalry between Gordon and Northern Suburbs dates back to the 1930s when the former club was admitted to the top division.

It was inflamed through the 80s and 90s in particular and will once again be reignited at North Sydney Oval on Saturday afternoon.

Like any rivalry, it’s ebbed and flowed over time, but with both sides winning first grade premierships in recent years, there’s plenty to play for this weekend.

Rugby News caught up with former Gordon coach and celebrated rugby union and rugby league writer Norm Tasker, to get his take on the rivalry.

“It’s a different rivalry these days,” Tasker, who actually ran this very publication at one stage in his glittering media career, said.

“There’s a lot of factors at play, for instance it’s a professional game now so people aren’t as local and they haven’t grown up together like they used to. That sort of thing will always make it a bit different to how it used to be but as I said, the rivalry is still there.

“I’m seeing emails coming through now saying ‘it’s Norths on the weekend, so let’s get serious’. There’s plenty of the rivalry of old maintained through the people supporting the clubs and I’m quite sure all the players will be trying pretty hard to win on the weekend.”

The story of Norths being relegated to the second division following the 1981 season, all but at Gordon’s hands, is a fabled tale and it of course inflamed the two clubs’ rivalry, which once again came to the fore when the Shoremen earned promotion in 1990.

Gordon dominated the derbies through that decade though, including a 40-17 victory over the Shoremen in the 1998 decider.

“Gordon was perhaps the stronger of the two for many, many years and Norths, of course, tried to upset that,” Tasker said.

“There was a lot of things that grew from that rivalry (and) there was always a lot of cross-club antics.

“I remember one night a Norths bloke knocked off the stags from the Gordon club and another night the Gordon guys knocked off the John Thornett painting out of the Norths club, but generally speaking they were all mates and the rivalry was built out of the fact that they were so close.

“I think it was always a pretty friendly rivalry (and) one of the things that drove it back in the day was all the local schools. Players came out of North Sydney High and North Sydney Tech and there was a lot of cross-over, people knew one another.

“That built a bit of sibling rivalry in a way and that was always there.”

Likening the rivalry to Manly and Warringah’s is an obvious way to give a modern-day outsider the chance to relate to it, with Tasker suggesting they’re not dissimilar.

“They’re very much the same I think, very similar local clubs who share the same sort of values, live in the same area, attend all the same things … those kind of rivalries by proximity are very natural, and outstanding,” Tasker said.

“It’s a bit like Easts and Randwick in a way or South Sydney and [the Roosters] in the [NRL], right now the rivalry is so strong in that Manly-Warringah area because Warringah have built up so far.

“In my time they were basically also-rans but these days they’re a very powerful, very progressive operation and both of those clubs have grown enormously. That rivalry is certainly up there in the very top bracket.”

Both Gordon and Norths head in to Saturday’s clash on the back of three straight victories, with Norths looking to leapfrog Manly into top spot and Gordon eager to secure their position in the top eight.

Check out the team lists ahead of this weekend’s clash.

Northern Suburbs v Gordon

Northern Suburbs (1-15)

George Thornton, James Margan, Apolosi Ranawai, Dave Henaway, Declan Carroll, Boston Kerapa, Gary Bautz, Brad Hemopo, Nick Duffy, Max Burey, Jamie Mazzarol-Kotz, Harry Burey, Nathan Russell, James Turner, Josh Henderson.

Gordon (1-15)

Mokani Fuavao, Mahe Vailanu, Tristan Fulli, Brendan Mitchell, Ola Tauelangi, Tom Horan, James Lough, Milan Basson, Harry Emery, Reece Mcdonald, Will Terry, Jake Abel, Alesana Pohla, Ben Pollack, Jack McGregor.