NSW Blues told to revert to traditional sky-blue strip ahead of Origin I

It was always a bold call to mess with the beloved sky-blue, and now the NRL have stepped into the fray.

The NSW Blues’ controversial navy jersey choice for this year’s State of Origin series could be scrapped before it even gets off the ground.

News Corp reports that the NRL has asked the New South Wales Rugby League to revert to the Blues’ traditional sky-blue for the first game of the series in Adelaide on Wednesday.

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Fatima Kdouh and Phil Rothfield reported that the NRL’s Head of Football, Graham Annesley, raised the issue with the NSWRL last week over concerns of a clash with Queensland’s traditional maroon.

This is despite the navy blue having been worn on two previous occasions without complaints of a clash.

The jerseys are reportedly made to individual specifications for every player, and have already been made in navy, as well as all of the promotional material being shot and released in the darker strip.

The Sydney Morning Herald have reported that NRL CEO Andrew Abdo also personally has been in contact with NSWRL, with the Blues set to fly to Adelaide for the series opener on Monday.

The shift has angered fans, with a poll taken by SEN on Twitter resulting in 89.6 per cent in favour of a reversion to the sky blue.

Penrith’s Jarome Luai modelling the navy strip. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

“As a proud New South Welshman this is yet another example of NSW not getting State of Origin,” one fan said on Twitter.

“If the Queenslanders were handed anything other than a maroon jersey they would refuse to wear it.

“Pride in the jersey is in the light blue one.”

NSW selector Greg Alexander and Fox League’s Andrew Voss went head to head over the change on their morning radio show, with Voss calling it “time to protest”.

“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.

Alexander disagreed, saying it was nothing to be outraged about.

“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.

“Its not an issue with me and I’m sure it’s not an issue with any of the players and the fans that like the blue jersey back in 2019. I’m sure they will like it again.”