We recently covered The Best Themed NRL Jerseys, and – like all greedy franchises – it’s already time for the sequel, with The Worst Themed NRL Jerseys.
Like the first list, this covers special rounds, anniversaries, clash/away strips, cynical marketing ploys (the short-lived Marvel jerseys), the NRL Nines, or just something different (in this case, what the hell were they thinking?). Though most will be shameless cash-ins, mismatched Marvel strips, or bad Nines jerseys.
Again, this is purely subjective, so feel free to agree or disagree.
Brisbane
While the 2017 Iron Man strip has similar colours to the Broncos, it feels like a shameless cash-in: as if Marvel (with a deep roster of famous superheroes, over 10 years of MCU movies, and a few grittier Netflix shows) needed any more brand recognition.
Canberra
Canterbury-Bankstown
Cronulla-Sutherland
An easy winner: the Sharks’ 2020 Nines jersey. While the idea had merit – make a jersey that looks like a shark – the result was terrifying, especially with those big teeth and that large, black mouth. It’s what nightmares are made of.
Gold Coast
Another Nines jersey, mainly because it looks like a frustrating level from a punishing old-school platformer, with those strange conveyer belt panels (though at least they got the colours right). We think we’ll spend our money on Space Invaders instead.
Manly-Warringah
Another Marvel jersey, this time Manly’s Wolverine strip. There’s nothing wrong with the design…if you’re a Parramatta fan. Why would the Sea Eagles wear the colours of their eighties rivals? The only reason we can think of is Hugh Jackman (who played Wolverine for nearly 20 years) is a huge Manly fan. We could look it up, but it’s more fun to hate on this mismatched jersey. The claw wound across the chest is pretty cool though.
Melbourne and Wests Tigers
Newcastle
It’s hard to find a bad Knights jersey (even the NSW Mining hi-vis jersey – despite not being in Newcastle colours – is quite popular), so let’s go with this messy jerseys from the 2016 Auckland Nines. The only team to pull off the harlequin look was the mid-1990s Broncos, and this assortment of red and blue triangles is bit…well, it’s hard to say. It’s not completely horrible, but it’s not great.
NZ Warriors
While it would be easy to nominate the Humphrey B. Bear cosplay “bushshirt”, let’s go with this strange blue and grey jersey worn during this year’s trials. The zig-zaggy patterns make it look like a rejected Storm jersey, and it pales in comparison to the excellent Auckland Warriors heritage home and away jerseys worn last year.
North Queensland
Yet another Marvel jersey. While it’s not bad, Thor’s colours don’t really suit North Queensland (especially all that red down the back) The Storm used the same design in 2017 and it looked much better on them than the Cowboys.
Parramatta
Parramatta don’t have too many bad jerseys, but this 2017 Auckland Nines effort seems to be trying too hard. Yes, it’s got the necessary blue and yellow (though the yellow’s awfully bright), but all those lines and arrows are too confusing. It looks like a bad superhero costume.
There’s also the horrible late-nineties M&Ms jersey, which we’ve all wiped from our memories, and won’t be revisiting here.
Penrith
South Sydney
St George-Illawarra
It’s hard to stuff up a Dragons jersey, all you need is red and white, so let’s pick on this 2016 Auckland Nines strip. The red is fine, but the weird thunder pattern ruins it. Their recent Nines jerseys, with more dragons than a Game of Thrones reference, are much better.
Sydney Roosters
Yes Roosters fans, your boys won the 2017 Auckland Nines in this strip, and it has some nice Bondi scenery on it, but this beach-y light blue doesn’t compare with the traditional tri-colours.
