NRL | 2023 NRL Jerseys Ranked

A new NRL season is just around the corner, but you don’t have to wait until March for the competition to start, as The Gurgler takes a look at the new kits on offer and has the 2023 NRL Jerseys Ranked.

As ever we found an expert to give us a hand, calling in Gurgler fashion consultant Anne Dover, who found fame recently as wardrobe consultant for the infamous Greg Norman photo shoot for ESPN’s 2018 10th Anniversary Body Issue.

And as ever The Gurgler has come up with an over-the-top way of getting the 2023 NRL Jerseys Ranked, so enjoy.

For a proper read on the 2023 NRL Jerseys please find one at Nothing But League.

2023 NRL JERSEYS RANKED – FINAL TABLE

Want to know how we got the 2023 NRL Jerseys Ranked and which team finished where? Then read on the table, and three category explanations below.

THREE CATEGORIES EXPLAINED

Our sporting fashion expert explains the three categories used to determine the 2023 NRL Jersey of the Year.

FIRST IMPRESSION – How does the jersey look at first glance, it is a yeah or a meh or a bleh?
CLASSIC NOD – Does the jerseys have a nod to the best past jerseys for each club. We are always a bit nostalgic.
EXTERNAL INFLUENCE – Does this look like the Marketing Department have had too big a say? Or too many public focus groups? Or is the main sponsor logo a big eyesore?

1 – RABBITOHS

It’s not because we are are South Sydney fans, there’s just something so simple and classic about a Souths jersey, and very little change every season. We guess there needs to be very little change, as they need to be seen and recognised at sporting events across the planet.

Fashion guru Anne Dover adds “It’s pretty hard to stuff up a Souths jersey. Although that TV Week sponsorship did, and same with the Mintie wrapper one of the 1980’s. And any Marvel Super Hero round.”

2 – BULLDOGS

Maybe a sign of things to come for the Bulldogs in 2023 as they feature around the top of an NRL competition ladder. We guess the thing that looks the best is a traditional rugby league vee that features prominently. The away jersey being an exact flip on colours is something that we are also big fans of. 

Anne adds “Sometimes less is more, and a nice clean lines works for fashion”.

3 – SEA EAGLES

Another club where a simple clean jersey, with a large nod to the past. Even the sponsor looks like one from the olden days where nothing but the white writing of the company was all you needed. Like the infamous Smith’s Crisps Rabbitohs deal.

Anne adds “Surely the club will handle any change in uniform this year a little better”.

4 – PANTHERS

Well at least Penrith didn’t win everything, but it sure looks like a winner’s jersey again. No one combines the colours like a Penrith jersey does. And the Oak sponsorship becomes such a part of the kit it’s one of those sponsor-team partnerships that will be remembered. Like Power’s Bitter and Broncos.

Anne adds: “It’s still a classic, and being a winner helps. I also need an Oak now I think about it.”

5 – RAIDERS

Canberra took the hint, and the sales data from 2022 and make the classic jersey the main one for 2023, not shoved up the back of the rack as the heritage jersey. The only downside for us is that we miss Canberra Milk not being the major sponsor.

Anne adds “They say blue and green should never be seen, and that’s true with their terrible first choice last season.”

6 – ROOSTERS

The dominance of Sydney teams continues as the Roosters make the top eight for jersey and no doubt in the league too. The sponsor works too being chicken.

Anne adds “It looks a little more french than usual, and that’s a good thing. France is so in right now.”

7 – EELS

Much like their 2022 season, the 2023 is a decent effort but not a winner. But the set of three is a good combination of colours and the part stripes are a nice touch.

Anne adds “I like stripes.”

8 – SHARKS

Middle of the road position for a middle of the road jersey. It’s not offensive or exciting. It ticks a lot of Cronulla Sharks fans boxes, and it does have a considerable mod to the past of the late 80’s when their home ground was called Caltex Field we think and a man called ET was loved by all.

Anne adds” “You could see ET in this jersey, and, um, what was I saying again? Oh yes, love ET.”

9 – DRAGONS

For all the nods to the past, and simple designs that we like in some higher placed teams, you’d think the Dragons would be higher up the table, but like our predicted 2023 for them it is lower than expected. 

For some reason we feel the St George logo seems way to big, and breaks up the big red vee too much, which is the main focal point. But it probably has done that for years and we’re just being picky.

Anne adds: “I do love a big vee.”

WARRIORS

This jersey looks really good in our opinion, but is really badly let down by the huge green dot in the middle.

Not sure why you would want what looks like a poor man’s portal in the middle of their shirt, but there it is. Perhaps if they’re playing poorly they can escape into their own jersey.

Although we do wonder just how many Warriors jerseys will be used before the end of the season.

Anne adds: “That great big green dot is an eyesore.”

KNIGHTS

Simple enough design with the right colours, but the bulky nib logo really takes away from the overall design.

Anne adds “Supposed Newcastle when conservative to ensure it is not worn by too many players in toilets in the local area.”

TIGERS

It’s hard with the Tigers and jerseys as they have to service both sets of fans. And they usually give the Warriors a nudge for most number of jerseys for the season. At least the Home and Away jerseys are nice an interchangeable.

Anne adds: “I prefer Tigers to Magpies, so will be more interested in the away jersey.”

COWBOYS

There’s nothing that wrong with the Cowboys jerseys, but it is a little dull, and the logo is way too big.

Anne adds “Without the logo it looks like a polo shirt you’d get from Rivers.”

TITANS

Like most sporting teams from the Gold Coast, the 2023 jersey is just a little meh. The yellow strip looks pretty cool with the white strip looking like the top of the waves lapping the beach. But the two-tone blue doesn’t work for us, and the sponsor seems a little large.

Anne adds “I’m not saying the Gold Coast Chargers jersey was better, but it was certainly more interesting.”

STORM

For a team with such a dynamic nickname of the Storm, their jersey is really bland. Where’s a lightning bolt or two. Rather than a two-tone purple with dark blue, and a section around the neck and shoulders that looks like the sailor outfit worn by Donald Duck.

Anne adds “Looks like a waiter’s outfit. Talking of waiters, I need another drink.”

BRONCOS

A truly woeful design which doesn’t know what it wants to do with itself. Or maybe we just hate imbalance, or it’s overly complicated, which makes sense given our top rating 2023 NRL jerseys are simple. And although it’s not all their fault, the new KIA logo is stupid.

And as first reported in Nothing But League’s NRL Jerseys piece, what is doing with the toilet seat neck on the Broncos jersey which can’t be unseen after being pointed out.

Anne adds “It screams of a marketing department taking on way too many views from the focus groups and social media polls and mashed it all together. Hopefully for their sake they finish higher on the ladder than this jersey.”

DOLPHINS

Possibly the biggest disappointment for the Dolphins is their first jersey, and this is something that is fully within their control, unlike recruitment.

Lord knows why a third colour was needed other than red and white, but why did the third colour have to be that colour and that prominent. 

We’re told the beige colour is actually meant to be sand, and it does look sandy, but even that is not really the colour of Redcliffe beaches. Although, the Dolphins seem to be at pains to point out that they are Dolphins and not Redcliffe.

The sponsor seems a little too big too.

Like first impressions, you only get one first ever NRL jersey, and Redcliffe have missed the boat badly.

Anne adds “Looks like a Vanilla Coke. Nuff said.”