North Sydney was formed as a foundation club of the newly arrived rugby league game in 1908 and were known as the Shoremen. The club was formed at the North Sydney School of Arts in Mount Street on 7 February 1908. Like the other Sydney district clubs, Norths were largely born from players and officials from the local Rugby Union club, Northern Suburbs Rugby Club. The club initially struggled to obtain access to North Sydney Oval, but council obstruction was removed and the Shoremen played their first real home game in 1910. Many good players such as Andy Morton, Jimmy Devereaux and Sid Deane were lost to English clubs in the years after making the semi-finals in the season of 1908.