State of Origin 2023: NSW Blues to wear navy strip despite concerns from NRL

The NSW Blues will ignore pleas from the NRL and a Blues legend to ditch their navy strip for the State of Origin opener. Here’s why.

The New South Wales players embrace for their national anthem before game three of the State of Origin Series between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blues at Suncorp Stadium on July 13, 2022, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

The NSWRL will push ahead with plans to wear the controversial navy blue jersey despite the NRL asking the Blues to revert back to the traditional kit for the series opener on Wednesday.

It comes as Blues great Garry Jack said NSW should stick with the sky blue because “Origin is about history, not marketing’’.

Jack’s opinion was backed by a poll on Sunday which showed 67 per cent of more than 3000 fans wanted NSW to wear sky blue, while 26 per cent don’t care and just 7 per cent prefer the navy blue.

The NRL’s head of football Graham Annesley raised the matter with the NSWRL on Friday.

There is concern the navy playing strip could clash with Queensland’s dark maroon.

Tom Trbojevic of the Blues in the navy strip. Picture: Getty Images

However it would have been a difficult issue to address because the jerseys are individually made for each player and have already been produced in navy.

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo was in contact with the Blues on Sunday to try to resolve the issue.

Jack, who played 17 matches in the sky blue jersey, urged the Blues to backtrack on their plans.

“Does anyone at the NSWRL understand the importance of 43 years of history of players wearing the sky blue of NSW,” Jack tweeted.

“Why change it to navy blue? Origin is about history, not marketing.

“It’s about wearing the sky blue jersey your idols wore, with your name on back. Go the mighty Blues.”

Does anyone at the NSWRL understand the importance of 43 years of history of players wearing the Sky blue of NSW.
Why change it too Navy blue?
Origin is about history,not marketing.
Its about wearing the sky blue jersey,your idols wore,with your name on back.
Go the mighty Blues

— Garry Jack (@jimmyjack244) May 28, 2023

The NSWRL released a statement on Sunday night reaffirming their commitment to the navy blue jersey.

“In response to press commentary regarding the Westpac NSW Blues wearing an alternate jersey for State of Origin 1 in Adelaide on Wednesday evening, and concerns regarding a potential colour clash, 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,” a spokesman said.

“The wearing of an alternate jersey on Wednesday evening is not a new idea.

“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.”

Fox League commentator Andrew Voss was one of the first people to lash out at the unfamiliar colour last week.

“I reckon it’s time to protest. Wear the sky blue in defiance in the treacherous move to wear a Victorian jersey in Adelaide,” Voss said on SEN Radio.

On Thursday, NSW selector Greg Alexander backed the original decision and said the dark jersey was popular with fans.

“The jersey we wore in Perth in 2019 has been one of the most popular jerseys we have worn with fans and this one is very similar,” Alexander said.

“Sometimes people just want to be outraged about everything, anything and everything.”

The Blues finalised preparations in Sydney on Sunday night with a field session at Accor Stadium before flying to Adelaide on Monday morning.

Players trained in the NSW Blues Origin jersey which celebrated the cultures, languages and innovations of the Koori Nations across the design.

A painting of the “Home Country” features on the jersey representing thousands of years of creativity, innovation and history of First Nations people.