Footy jerseys are more than just a way to identify teams and connect them with the city they’re representing; they can also be a big money-spinner.
Themed jerseys are popular with fans and great for merchandise sales, be they for special rounds (like the Indigenous or Women in League rounds), anniversaries (with some lovely retro strips), clash/away strips (usually with a lot of white), cynical marketing ploys (the short-lived Marvel jerseys), the NRL Nines (there’s a few of those here), or just something different.
In this case, “themed” is a collective term encompassing most of the above categories.
We covered the best jerseys in our A to Z series, so we won’t double up here.
Of course, this list is purely subjective, so feel free to agree or disagree with us.
Brisbane
This 30th anniversary jersey – based on their classic design from 1988 to 1996 – is beautiful, and gets a regular rotation. The old-school maroon number boxes are a nice touch too. It really should be their primary jersey.
Canberra
The only Raiders jersey not to feature green, this one-off strip was made to celebrate Canberra’s centenary in 2013, with the Australian Capital Territory’s blue and gold colours prominent. It hold pleasant memories, as the Raiders beat Brisbane 30-18 in round 13, 2013.
Canterbury-Bankstown
Canterbury can go a bit crazy with the black and blue (insert inappropriate joke here…). But their 2020 Nines jersey was nice and simple, with a blue and white bulldog on a white background. It works, and it looks like a Bulldogs jersey.
Cronulla-Sutherland
The Sharks’ black jerseys are pretty neat, but we should give a shout out to their 2019 Indigenous jersey (always an important round in the NRL calendar), which keeps the home strip’s design with some lovely Indigenous artwork. A fine effort.
Gold Coast
Much like the current team, the Titans’ jerseys can be a right old mess. This Seagulls-esque heritage jersey is the best of a normally bad bunch, with light blue hoops, a white base, and a little bit of yellow.
Manly-Warringah
A striking recent away strip, with a massive Sea Eagles logo. The white and maroon also brings back memories of the mid-nineties “Pepsi” strips, which they played three grand finals in.
Melbourne
Some Storm jerseys can be messy (purple’s a hard colour to pull off unless you’re the Joker), but this majority white away strip is beautifully simple, with just enough purple on the shoulders and sides. Extra points for not trying to shoehorn any ugly thunderbolts in either.
Newcastle
While this 2020 Nines strip is a simple reversal of the Knights’ home jersey, the majority red is a great look, and the blue’s a bit lighter than usual.
NZ Warriors
The Warriors have five million jerseys, but this NZ flag jersey is one of the best. It’s very patriotic, and holds fond memories for Warriors fans, as it was worn during their charge to the 2011 NRL Grand Final.
North Queensland
While you don’t normally associate pink with the tough men in northern Queensland, last year’s Women in League jersey is quite striking. While the pink dominates, it still looks like a Cowboys jersey.
Parramatta
Another Nines strip, but one of the Eels’ better ones. They always pull off the majority yellow look, and the blue and white ‘V’ is a nice touch. It’s also retro enough to make Eels fans pull out their VHS’ to relive their eighties glory days.
Penrith
More than just a pop culture reference, Penrith have embraced the “Pink Panther” jersey (with a bit of black on the sides). It’s so popular that it’s gone from being a Women in League round jersey to appearing as their regular clash jerseys and their Nines strip this year.
South Sydney
This Souths jersey looks charmingly old-fashioned, with a simulated lace up jersey design and mainly red with dark green on the chest. At least there’s no ugly black or white side and shoulder sections.
St George-Illawarra
While the Dragons rightly stick to the iconic Red V most of the time, this replica Steelers away jersey (seen here in its 2011 incarnation) is amazing.
Sydney Roosters
This clash jersey, worn in 2011 (hence the picture of Todd Carney) takes the Roosters’ traditional tri-colours and mixes them up a bit, with the majority white strip topped-and-tailed with red and blue. Like the best alternate jerseys, it’s different enough from the home strip, but still recognisable.
Wests Tigers
The Tigers have had some hideous jerseys over the years, but this alternate/heritage jersey is beautiful. Featuring mainly black, with small white and yellow stripes, it works because it keeps it simple while representing both Balmain and Western Suburbs.
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