2018 was a pretty great season, wasn’t it? Our 20th birthday, a history-making Challenge Cup run and some notable wins.
A couple of weeks ago, as part of our social media advent calendar, we asked for YOUR favourite memories from last season.
Well, here’s what you came up with…
Make sure you’re around to make new memories with us in 2019 - snap up your season ticket now!
We’re almost at the end of our series of short films with different members of the Bears family. Today’s star has quickly become a club icon on and off the field - it’s Dante Morley-Samuels.
There can be few players in British rugby league as instantly recognisable as Dante Morley-Samuels - after all, you don’t see that many ginger afros on a rugby pitch!
But, Dante proved in his first season with us that he is far more than just a hair do - comfortable at centre, fullback or on the wing, he regularly got the team on the front foot in 2018 and was a worthy winner of our young player of the season.
In 2019, he’s back and ready for more!.
Dante said: “It was an honour winning the young player of the year award - I’m looking forward to playing another season with the Coventry Bears in front of all the good fans we’ve got.
“In 2019 I’m hoping for a better season and for the team to show show everyone that Coventry is more than just a development team.”
Head coach Tom Tsang was also delighted to secure Dante’s services for 2019.
He said: “Dante signs up for his second season with the Bears after turning heads in 2018. He is a strong and athletic outside back with good feet and a nice turn of speed.
“He needs to work on some areas of his game - such as his passing if playing in the centre or at fullback - but being just 19 years old and possessing a great attitude to learning, he will no doubt make the leap in 2019.”
Oh, and let’s not finish this without some hairstyle chat.
Dante added: “About my hair - I get quite a few comments calling me Sideshow Bob but I don’t mind really - I like it!”
To see if Dante has another hair-raising season in Betfred League 1, sign up for your season ticket now!
Over the next few weeks, we’re getting to know a few of the stars of our recent season launch video a little better. Today, we meet a player who is a born-and-bred Midlander - Cameron Stewart.
One detail that sometimes get lost from our historic victory against Keighley Cougars last summer was that it wasn’t just our first win against a traditional northern club.
It also marked the Bears debut of young Midlander Cameron Stewart, who made an immediate impact in his first taste of League 1 action.
From that point on, Cameron was a regular in our first team for the remainder of the 2019 season, and he’s heading into 2019 looking to improve further.
Cameron said: “I’m proud to be a Midlands player, coming through the rankings and now playing for a Midlands side.
“It was really good to get a shot to play in the first team amongst a good set of lads and make my debut against Keighley, especially getting a win against a strong side.
“In 2019, I’m hopefully looking forward to starting more games, getting more game time and improving my game for the future.”
Bears head coach Tom Tsang added: “Cam, who hails from Leicester, was a real success story of 2018. I watched him playing for the Midlands Hurricanes Academy and invited him to attend pre-season, where he then got his head down and worked incredibly hard, asking the right questions and making improvements week on week.
“Eventually Cam got his opportunity and went on to make half a dozen appearances for the club, including the memorable win versus Keighley. I am really looking forward to another year working with Cam and helping him develop further. Like all our players, his attitude is first class and I am sure he will go from strength to strength now he has a year under his belt at this level.”
To see how Cameron progresses in 2019, make sure you snap up your season ticket!
TT: Ollie is a very experienced front-rower, having spent time with London Skolars, Gloucestershire All Golds and before that London Broncos, racking up well over 200 professional appearances. I spoke to some Bears players who have played alongside Ollie in the past and all had good things to say about him. He will be relocating to Birmingham in the new year and so it made perfect sense to add him to our squad.
OP: I joined Coventry because whenever I have played against them in the past they have always appeared to be a close knit team, with great unity and I wanted to be part of that. I have also spoken to Tom over the last 2 or 3 seasons whenever we have played and have been very impressed by him. My personal ambition is to bring some added experience to the team, and some aggression. I have played over 200 games at this level and want to help the team have the best season to date and case as many upsets as we can. I am really looking forward to the season starting.
Hopefully, yesterday’s video with Tim Poulter has given you the appetite to follow us on the road for a couple of away matches in 2019. If so, we’ve picked out three trips that might tickle your fancy.
Don’t forget to pick up your 2019 season ticket too!
See you on the road!
Doncaster - Sunday 7 April
The Keepmoat Stadium - home to the Dons, Doncaster Rovers FC and Doncaster Rovers Belles - can lay a very strong claim to being the most impressive stadium in League 1.
The 15,000-capacity ground, which opened in 2007, is situated on the southern edge of Doncaster and close to the M18 and A1(M), making it easy to access for visiting from the south!
The ground has already built a rich rugby league history despite only having opened just over a decade ago; it was the venue for a Challenge Cup semi final in both 2008 and 2016, and it hosted the opening match of the 2009 Gillette 4 Nations, between England and France.
It hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the Bears yet, but that’s all the more reason to make the trip in 2019 - to witness our first win in Doncaster in person!
Address: Stadium Way, Lakeside, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN4 5JW
London Skolars - Saturday 6 July
In 2019, Skolars will be our closest rivals geographically - so a trip to the New River Stadium is the closest we’ll have to an away derby next season.
The ground - which is also known as the White Hart Lane Community Sports Centre - is situated in North London and has a capacity of 5,000.
As well as being home to the Skolars, it also hosts Enfield and Haringey Athletic Club, Wood Green Weightlifting Club, Haringey Rhinos rugby union, Haringey Cycling Club and the YouTube based football club Hashtag United. It also hosts the Middlesex 9s tournament.
The New River Stadium is very easy to reach on public transport, with Wood Green tube station around a 15-minute walk away and Wood Green station itself only 15 minutes on the Tube from Euston station.
2018’s visit to North London was a fruitful one for the Bears as we came away with a victory that kick-started our four-game winning streak last summer.
Why not see if we can repeat the trick in 2019?
Address: White Hart Ln, Wood Green N22 5QW
North Wales Crusaders - Sunday 11 August
Last on our trio of tasty road trips is a trip to Wrexham for our clash with the North Wales Crusaders in the height of summer.
The Crusaders moved to the 8,000-capacity Queensway Stadium in 2017 and it’s a ground where we notched a victory in September of that same year.
The ground is location just outside the centre of Wrexham, was Lesotho’s official training base for the 2012 Summer Olympics and has been the training base for Wales and USA Rugby League.
Not only that, it will also the home ground for two former Bears favourites - Ben Stead and Matt Reid - so why not go along and see some familiar faces?
Even better, you’ve actually two chances to travel to the Queensway Stadium in 2019, as we take on the Crusaders in a pre-season friendly there at 1.30pm on Saturday 2 February.
Address: Queensway Stadium, Queensway, Wrexham, LL13 8UH
Over the next few weeks, we’re getting to know a few of the stars of our recent season launch video a little better. Today, we meet one of our season ticket holders - Tim Poulter.
Away days for a rugby league team based outside of the sports heartlands have the potential to be a bit of a lonely affair, which is why our travelling supporters are such an important part of our story.
One face the Bears players are used to seeing home and away is Tim Poulter, season ticket holder and likely to be there in person whatever the city - or continent!
Tim said: “I’ve been supporting the Bears since they first started 20 years ago. I like to go home and away - all games if possible.
“My favourite away trip has to be the one to Toronto, just because it was such a mad place to go to!”
Tim also made a return to North America in 2018 to watch the England v New Zealand test in Denver, so if you ever decide to follow us on the road next season you can almost guarantee that Tim will be there too.
Tim added: “My hopes for 2019 are to see the bears develop on the great season we had in 2018 and progress, and see the players fulfilled their true potential.”
Over the next few weeks, we’re getting to know a few of the stars of our recent season launch video a little better. Today, spend 30 seconds with our master of sleight of hand…Kam Pearce-Paul.
The first time you see it, it’s hard to comprehend exactly what happened. Very much a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moment.
We’re talking about Kam Pearce-Paul’s on-field wizardry in our final away game of the 2018 season, away to Whitehaven.
We see him take the ball - that much is clear - and we see it end up in the hands of winger Reece Rance, who dives over to score in the corner. But, what happened in between?
That’s the tricky part.
By some majestic piece of sleight of hand, Kam somehow threw a stupendous pass that bamboozled the defence and laid the try on a plate for his winger.
Even the magician himself doesn’t quite know how he did it.
“Yeah, that pass,” he started, “I don’t know how I did it - it was in the moment.
“I don’t really know what I was doing but I’m just glad it pulled off!”
Kam joined us last season on a season-long loan from the London Broncos and instantly showed his class in our backline. As such, we’re delighted that he’s signed on a permanent basis for the 2019 season.
Kam continued: “The Bears took me in on loan last season, and I saw first hand the improvement we made through the year. I saw a club with an exciting future and it was something I wanted to be part of. I'm looking forward to next season and the team picking up where we left off this year.”
Bears head coach Tom Tsang added: “I am very excited to confirm KP will be joining the Bears officially, having been on a season long loan from the London Broncos in 2018.
“Kam quickly earned a great reputation as an attacking centre during his time with us this year, but also improved the defensive side of his game as the season progressed. KP built a fantastic relationship on the right edge with fellow returners Chris Barratt and Reece Rance and I expect these combination to pick straight up where it left off.”
To see how Kam gets on in 2019 - and what new tricks he might have up his sleeve - snap up your season ticket now. They include entry to all our Betfred League 1 home matches in 2019, any home Cup matches and our pre-season friendly against Super League’s Leeds Rhinos on Friday 18 January.
Tom Tsang: Brad was a late addition to the squad this season, joining from Warwick University. He had to bide his time for an opportunity, but was part of the success we had at the back end of the season. As a halfback, he has a very good kicking game and understands the role well. He also had some time with Ireland playing in the student 4 nations last summer. With a full pre-season and opportunity to build some combinations with new players, Brad will be an important part of the squad in 2019.
Brad Sheridan: I am delighted to have re-signed for another year with the Bears. I am looking forward to carrying on from last year and pushing to hold down a regular position. I have been really happy with how the Bears coaching team have helped my development with me playing with my home town Club Wigan StCuthberts while also playing with the Bears and at University while being based in Coventry. I cant wait for 2019 and what it holds for me.
Tom Tsang: Dante signs up for his second season with the Bears after turning heads in 2018. He is a strong and athletic outside back with good feet and a nice turn of speed. He needs to work on some areas of his game - such as his passing if playing in the centre or at fullback - but being just 19 years old and possessing a great attitude to learning, he will no doubt make the leap in 2019.
Dante: It’s been a pleasure to re-sign for the club for this upcoming season as Coventry is a great team that gives players like me an opportunity to get back to playing rugby in a professional environment as well as providing them with opportunities to progress on and off the field.
It was a honour to receive the young player of the year award from the club last season and this year I hope to have a bigger impact.
Over the next few weeks, we’re getting to know a few of the stars of our recent season launch video a little better. Today, we delve deeper into our relationship with Coventry University.
Coventry University and the Coventry Bears are far from strangers; let’s not forget, the Bears founder and CEO - Alan Robinson - first played the sport when he came to Coventry as a wide-eyed 18-year-old.
The rest, as they say, is history.
But, as the Bears have grown and joined the professional ranks, their link with their home city’s University hasn’t deviated - if anything, it’s grown.
Players such as Kieran Sherratt, Dan Gover, Chris Barratt and Peter Ryan have all made the progression from the University to the Bears’ first team and 2019 will see yet more players graduate from BUCS to Betfred League 1.
As we’ve already confirmed, loose forward Leon Harber, second row/centre John Sipawa and prop Euan Tiernan have all signed for the Bears in 2019, and will combine playing for us with their studies.
Another strengthened link between Bears and University is Tom Tsang, who is now head coach of both sides.
Tom said: “The relationship between the Bears and the University is a scholarship partnership where some of our players will combine their studies and their higher education degrees with playing for the Bears.
“I can’t wait to see some of the players that have made their first steps playing for the University transition in to the Bears, and follow the pathway that others guys have done.”
If you’re reading this and fancy combining studying at a world-class University with playing semi-professional rugby league, visit the Coventry University website to find out more about their sports scholarships.
Don’t forget to snap up your season tickets to see how our hard-running and hard-tackling scholars get on in 2019. Included with season tickets is entry to our pre-season friendly at home to the Leeds Rhinos on Friday 18 January.
