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NSW have rejected the NRL’s last-minute request to revert to their traditional sky blue jersey to avoid a clash with Queensland’s maroon strip in the State of Origin series opener.
The NRL was told of the Blues’ jersey choice more than a year ago but only made contact with NSW to question the navy blue design on Friday, once images began surfacing in media outlets ahead of Game I.
The Blues traditionally sport a sky blue jersey and the NRL harbours concerns the new outfit will clash with Queensland’s similarly dark attire.
While the NRL has final say over jerseys worn by each of its 17 clubs, the State of Origin sides are not bound by the same stringent protocols.
The Blues kit for Adelaide. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
NSW are due to fly to Adelaide for Wednesday’s series opener on Monday morning and team officials feel there is no time to have new jerseys printed with customised names and numbers.
In defending their jersey choice, the Blues released a statement that pointed to their decision to wear a similar navy-blue strip in the second game of the 2019 series.
“The wearing of an alternate jersey on Wednesday evening is not a new idea,” an NSWRL spokesman said.
“It should be noted that NSWRL first followed the concept of wearing an alternate jersey in 2019 without any issue or concern ever being raised by the ARLC.
“Indeed, the base colour of the jersey being worn on Wednesday evening is exactly the same colour as the colour of the jersey which was worn in Perth in 2019, again without any issue ever being raised by the ARLC and without any clash between the maroon Queensland jersey and the blue New South Wales jersey being identified.”
The NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley, whom a News Corp report said had raised the jersey clash with NSWRL, declined to comment on the issue when contacted by AAP.
© AAP
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