Jersey numbers

[Azkatro]

Do players wear the same number all year regardless of where they play, or is that just a few clubs' initiative?

 

[roughyed8]

Yes, players are allocated a squad number at the start of the season and keep it for the year.

 

[Stormin Norman]

good idea i reckon nrl should bring it in

 

[League Freak™]

good idea i reckon nrl should bring it in

Ah...no thanks. In Australia you have to earn your jersey number week in week out.

 

[Paul-The-Cowboy]

I'm a tradionalist myself and prefer the NRL number systeming.

BUT

Squad numbers do have their plus points.

One that many people don't consider is that it's a pretty decent way to rake in a bit of revenue for clubs here. You see a hellva lot of fans at grounds with players number AND name on the back of their shirts. And it's not dirt cheap to do either. Especially if you're a fan of Nick Bradley-Qalilawa.

 

[bartman]

:lol: re NB-Q

I like squad numbers given for the year - if they're sensible to start with.

Leigh have a prop running around in number 4 among all sorts of things, makes it confusing to watch.

It used to happen in some Sydney teams in the late seventies - Manly springs immediately to mind but there were a few others.

 

[Paul-The-Cowboy]

Yeah, I agree, entirely.

Leigh's number system is stupid and so hard to follow.

They gave out squad numbers in alphabetical order so that players weren't complacent about their places and to show that nobody is guaranteed to be in or out of the squad, to hopefully maximise performances.

It's really beared fruitition :lol:

Out of interest, I remember a few years ago Melbourne tried squad numbers. But they soon reverted back to numbers on match day. That was the most recent effort I think. Maybe it's not an Aussie thing. The football sides do it over here so I guess that adds some popularity to the system.

 

[Martli]

I reckon the NRL way is better because it gives you some idea of who is playing where, especially when you aren't familiar with a team. Although I think they allocate shirts to everyone in the squad don't they? Even if they aren't in the 17? For example the 17 will get 1-17 depending on their position and possibly even an 18 or 19 aswell if they're travelling, then the rest of the squad will get 20-25 or something which is when you get guys like Ben Hornby wearing #22 today against Manly etc. etc. I'm pretty sure shirts these days are all custom made to suit the players body shape so I guess you'd be looking at a new shirt each week for a lot of players whereas in ESL you'd probably only need to replace one when needed, so its cheaper....

 

[bartman]

:lol: Yep definitely cheaper. Just one home strip, one away strip, number allocated at the start of the year - throw 'em in the wash after each game!