BEARS’ SALARY CAPPER
VFL great’s $350,000 move to the Gold Coast failed to pay dividends for the Brisbane Bears in the late ’80s
WARWICK Capper was one of the most famous Aussie rules players during his prime years at the Sydney Swans.
Known for his colourful personality and high-flying, spectacular marks, the full-forward with the golden mullet was an icon of the mid-1980s VFL.
He’d appeared in soap opera Neighbours and even recorded a single, the infamous I Only Take What’s Mine.
But 31 years ago this week Capper left Sydney and flew into the Gold Coast to start a new chapter in his career.
Capper shocked the football world by signing with the Brisbane Bears, Queensland’s first Aussie rules team at the elite level, which was then based on the Gold Coast.
Overnight, the then 24year-old became the highestpaid player in the league, securing a $350,000 threeyear deal, just months after winning the coveted Mark of the Year award.
He flew into the Gold Coast with Bears chairman Paul Cronin and general manager Shane O’Sullivan where he signed the paperwork.
Capper told media he was “a little sad” to leave Sydney.
“Nothing against the boys. I just wanted a change of scenery and a chance to prove myself up here in a state I like,’’ he said.
“I’m looking forward to a new career with the Bears and hopefully finishing there.’’
Capper, who was a regular holiday-maker on the Glitter Strip, said he was looking forward to playing with the relocated club.
“I think they did quite well last year. They won six games, were less than a kick away from 10 others, and I think they can finish in the top seven this year,’’ he said.
But 1989 would not be the club’s year, when it again failed to make the finals.
Capper was the team’s lead goalkicker during his first season, though the Bears came 10th out of the 14 teams, winning just eight games.
There were also off-field difficulties as the team’s coowner, Christopher Skase, saw his business empire collapse.
The 1990 season bottomed out with the Bears picking up the wooden spoon.
Capper’s Queensland career failed to recapture the high he reached in Sydney and he departed Brisbane at the end of 1990, having kicked just 71 goals in 34 games over three seasons.
Of those, 45 were during his first season.
He returned to Sydney for a final season with the Swans before retiring and returning to the Gold Coast where he played for Southport Sharks.
In the years following his football career, Capper was a popular sight on the Gold Coast, with plenty of career changes including working as a Meter Maid and recording a pornographic film.
Capper eventually left the Gold Coast in 2017 after nearly 30 years as a local but still visits often. Just last month he took the blame for a citywide drop in fertility.
“I bet it dropped when I moved. You can’t really call it the sex capital now I’m gone,” the now Melbourne-based former AFL star said.
“I told the mayor to put up a statue of me, that might have helped but it didn’t happen.”