They competed in the NRL's 2003 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 5th out of 15 teams, before reaching the semi-final where they were knocked out by Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
A disappointing exit two weeks before the Grand Final was tempered by the rise of young Queenslanders Billy Slater and Cameron Smith.
The silky and pacy moves of Slater in the centres and at fullback were attention getters for fans and keen judges of football talent alike.
The club's clash colours was changed to a mostly white design with a purple chevron and gold thunderbolts, worn with navy shorts.
Coached by Gary Greinke, Norths missed the finals for the first time under the affiliation with Melbourne, with Cooper Cronk winning club's player of the year award.