The North Queensland Cowboys and Cronulla Sharks played a high-scoring match in Townsville on Friday night, but many rugby league fans were quick to notice an important detail about the Sydney team's jersey.
While the Cowboys wore a striking army green and black strip to commemorate the ANZACs and all servicemen and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice, the Sharks ran out in their usual blue and black away strip at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, leading to widespread questioning.
'Great Cowboys jumpers, where is the Anzac theme on the Sharks jumpers?' one fan asked. Another sarcastically posted: 'Sharks went all out on their ANZAC strip.' 'Lest we forget that the mighty Cronulla Sharks don't do ANZAC jerseys,' added another.
Why the Sharks Skipped the ANZAC Jersey
The reason the Sharks opted not to have an ANZAC jersey this season is based on limitations set by the NRL. The NRL has a formal policy intended to limit jersey designs, with clubs only allowed five alternate strips per season. That means they have to choose which of the major rounds to commemorate, including Women in League Round, Indigenous Round, Heritage Round, and Multicultural Round. There are often individual club jerseys as well, to honour milestones and other social and historic themes.
Match Highlights
In the match itself, Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater shook off rumours about his future with North Queensland, powering the Cowboys to a 46-34 victory. There had been speculation the fullback could move to St George Illawarra at the end of the season, despite being contracted until 2027. But the 28-year-old looked intent on delivering for the Cowboys, registering a try, three try assists, a crucial 40/20, and seven tackle busts.
His efforts helped North Queensland bounce back from a 38-6 thumping by Manly last Thursday. Coach Todd Payten said, 'I gave them a couple of extra days off, which goes against my natural instinct. But I just saw the petrol tank low on fumes. The players responded, looked after themselves, and bounced into training. To win five of the last six games and put us in a decent position moving forward is pleasing.'
The Sharks were boosted by the return of co-captain Cameron McInnes (ACL), but their leaky defence proved costly. Coach Craig Fitzgibbon said, 'We need an attitude check to understand the importance of what it takes to knuckle down, play together and work hard together. I don't really want to give the boys an excuse or make up some positives out of it.'
