The National Rugby League Heritage Round was established in 2008 to celebrate the 101st anniversary of the inaugural New South Wales Rugby League 1908 premiership. This marked 100 years of rugby league in Australia. Each club would play a rivalry match against a club that joined the competition at a similar time, or one which had inherited the legacy of a past club.

Heritage jerseys Clubs wear a different jersey to their normal home and away strips to mark the significance of the Heritage Round clashes. This is an opportunity for clubs and fans to reflect on their heritage and past glories. As such, jerseys similar to a club's original strip, or strip worn at a particular match or final, are a way to reignite rivalries and past glories.

Some jerseys worn in Heritage Round reflect the jersey worn by a side when it first entered the NRL, such as those worn by the Brisbane Broncos, South Sydney Rabbitohs, St George Illawarra Dragons or Sydney Roosters. The design or colours of a jersey may also denote respect for a side from the same area which no longer exists, such as the design of the Gold Coast Titans and Newcastle Knights heritage jerseys in 2008.

Clubs have also worn jerseys that reflect an important milestone or event. An example of this is the Balmain heritage jersey worn by the Wests Tigers in the 2009 Heritage Round, marking 40 years since a famous Grand Final clash with the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Another example is the Melbourne Storm wearing their 2000 away strip in 2009, as it was the first jersey in predominantly purple colours.

Heritage Round 2008 - centenary of rugby league The first NRL Heritage Round was played in Round 6, 2008. It celebrated the anniversary of the first round of the 1908 premiership. Teams wore jerseys reflecting their club or region's first season in the competition.

HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Gold Coast Titans26-24 Brisbane Broncos 18 April 2008, 7:30pmSkilled ParkTony Archer 27,176 Parramatta Eels16-20 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 18 April 2008, 7:30pmParramatta StadiumShayne Hayne14,025 Bulldogs30-18 St George Illawarra Dragons 19 April 2008, 5:30pmANZ StadiumBernard Sutton14,767 North Queensland Cowboys48-20 New Zealand Warriors 19 April 2008, 7:30pmDairy Farmers StadiumJason Robinson20,554 Cronulla Sharks20-21 Penrith Panthers 19 April 2008, 7:30pmToyota StadiumSean Hampstead13,852 Sydney Roosters20-34 Newcastle Knights 20 April 2008, 2:00pm Bluetongue StadiumSteve Lyons14,176 Wests Tigers30-10 South Sydney Rabbitohs 20 April 2008, 3:00pmSydney Cricket GroundBen Cummins19,122 Canberra Raiders16-23 Melbourne Storm 21 April 2008, 7:00pmCanberra StadiumJared Maxwell15,550

Heritage Round 2009 - second Heritage Round The second NRL Heritage Round was played out in Round 10. The round opened with a thrilling match between the Dragons and Bulldogs.Hazem El Masri played his 300th career game, which was controversially settled by the video referee disallowing a try to Jamal Idris in the last minute to deny the Bulldogs victory in front of a packed Jubilee Oval. On the same night, a large crowd turned out in Brisbane to watch the local derby between the Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Titans.

Another memorable match was played out at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday afternoon, as South Sydney and the Wests Tigers relived the 1969 Grand Final, with Souths narrowly defeating the Tigers in the dying moments of the game with a field goal.

HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and time (local)VenueRefereeCrowd Brisbane Broncos32-18 Gold Coast Titans15 May 2009, 7:35pmSuncorp StadiumGavin BadgerShane Hayne43,079 St George Illawarra Dragons20-18 Bulldogs15 May 2009, 7:35pmWIN Jubilee OvalTony ArcherAshley Klein18,415 Sydney Roosters6-38 Newcastle Knights16 May 2009, 5:30pmSydney Football StadiumChris JamesSteve Lyons8,611 Penrith Panthers26-22 Cronulla Sharks16 May 2009, 7:30pmCUA StadiumJared MaxwellGerard Sutton11,750New Zealand Warriors12-34 North Queensland Cowboys17 May 2009, 12:00pmMt Smart StadiumBen CumminsAlan Shortall16,345 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles34-10 Parramatta Eels17 May 2009, 2:00pmBrookvale OvalGavin BadgerTony De Las Heras15,916 Wests Tigers22-23 South Sydney Rabbitohs17 May 2009, 3:00pmSydney Cricket GroundAshley KleinJason Robinson29,970 Melbourne Storm46-6 Canberra Raiders18 May 2009, 7:00pmOlympic Park StadiumTony ArcherBrett Suttor10,112

See also

AFL Heritage Round

References

External links