A battling NRL club has released an Australian-first jersey for its final match of the season, but fans aren’t overly happy about the final design and ‘gimmicky’ nature of the strip.
The North Queensland Cowboys will debut a Northern Lights jersey that glows in the dark for their final home game of the season.
Unveiled as part of the club’s 30th anniversary, it’s the first jersey of its kind in major Australasian sport.
Created with Dynasty Sport, the design blends the team’s identity with modern technology.
Fluorescent ink means the jersey glows under blue UV light, with retail versions also featuring glow-in-the-dark silicone badges.
The jersey will make its on-field debut in Round 26 against the Brisbane Broncos on August 30.
Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi models the club’s new glowing Northern Lights jersey
Scott Drinkwater and the rest of the Cowboys will create an Aussie sporting first when they wear the jersey against the Brisbane Broncos on August 30
But disgruntled fans, still fuming after the club was officially ruled out of NRL finals in its loss to the Cronulla Sharks last weekend, aren’t impressed.
‘Really don’t like this one. Why glow in the dark too, like that’s just a gimmick you’re never really gonna see used,’ one posted to a fan group.
Others said the jersey looks more like a Parramatta strip than a Cowboys one.
‘OMG this is a gee up. Hindy will have a field day when we play Parra,’ one posted.
Another commented: ‘We are the blue and grey not blue and yellow’.
‘Yeah, actually that would be a killer design for the Eels,’ joked another.
The Cowboys have won just seven matches this season and have crashed to 13th on the NRL ladder, adding to the angst over the new jersey.
‘What’s the point of having a glow jersey if players won’t light it up?’ an unhappy Cowboys fan asked.
If North Queensland were hoping the new strip would give fans a boost during their poor season, their supporters had a nasty surprise in store for them
Cowboys fans are anything but thrilled at the idea of handing over their money for a one-off jersey as their team sits 13th on the ladder
‘Another jersey the players don’t respect the one they have,’ accused another.
‘It’s not the jersey that needs updating. It’s the bloody defence,’ fumed yet another.
The Cowboys’ shocking season has heaped pressure on coach Todd Payten, with former North Queensland star Josh Hannay linked to the club as his possible replacement if the axe falls.
Prop Coen Hess went into bat for his under-siege coach this week.
‘There’s always pressure. It’s the NRL,’ Hess said.
‘But the onus is on us as players, Toddy and the coaching staff do a tremendous job throughout the week. He’s not out there missing the tackles or letting in tries.
‘The responsibility is on the players. We take out onto the field, they give us a good enough game plan and the onus is on us to go out there and execute it.
‘From my point of view I don’t think it’s very warranted, the pressure on Toddy or the coaching staff. We’ve got to have a good hard look in the mirror ourselves and play up to the standards they set for us, and that we know we’re capable of.’
His thoughts were echoed by second-rower Kai O’Donnell.
‘We’ve been lapsing in concentration, I think pretty much the whole season we haven’t put an 80-minute performance together,’ O’Donnell said.
Todd Payten is under pressure because of the poor season, with former Cowboy Josh Hannay linked to the club as a potential new coach
‘It’s hard to put a finger on it, but I think it just comes down to concentration. We’ve got to concentrate for the whole 80 minutes, not just periods of a game, because that’s where it falls apart.
‘It’s all on us, us 17 players, to do that and no one else can do it for us. There’s no coaches or anyone else that can do it, it’s just on us.
‘It’s hard for me to speak on behalf of everyone, but I think it’s just individually prepping. I feel like we get enough good prep during the week, and a good game plan to go out and implement into the game.
‘It’s just doing that. We talk about it but now it’s just about putting those actions in and maintaining it for the whole 80 minutes.’
