MELBOURNE will wear its ‘retro’ royal blue jumper – initiated for colour television and worn from 1975-86 – as its away/clash guernsey for 2018.
The guernsey became somewhat of a cult favourite among Melbourne supporters who watched the Dees from the mid-1970s until the navy blue jumper returned for the 1987 season.
But the royal blue guernsey, which replaces Melbourne’s alternative white strip, will be one of two clash jumpers to feature in 2018, along with the ‘red back’, which was used last season.
Chairman Glen Bartlett said he was delighted to see the royal blue jumper back in vogue.
“I’m very excited about it. I think for some time we’ve known that our members and supporters weren’t that happy about the white jumper,” he said.
“I’ve had a view – and we’ve had it within the club – that we’d love something different that reflected our colours. It had to be different to our traditional colours, so we’ve come up with this.
“I think it’ll be fantastic, and I really hope our members and supporters really embrace it, because it does have meaning.”
Bartlett spoke passionately about the royal blue jumper from when it was prominent in the 1970s/80s.
“I’ve still got vivid memories when Robbie Flower wore it, and Brownlow Medal winners Brian Wilson and Peter Moore wore it, and even Mark Jackson, so they’re our colours and connections of the past,” he said.
“White is an easy default, but it’s not part of our club colours and with our branding a couple of years ago, we got the white out of our logo.
“I don’t think white really excited anyone and we don’t have white in our colours, so I’m rapt, as I think the new clash strip with the white shorts and red socks look fantastic.”
Bartlett praised the club’s staff and the AFL for making the clash jumper possible.
“From right across the club, from our marketing and management group, there was a fair bit of work to be done to make this happen – it didn’t just happen overnight,” he said.
“I want to thank the AFL for their support in helping us with a non-white clash strip.
“At the end of the day, it’s a great decision.”
Melbourne will wear its royal blue clash guernsey in away matches against the likes of Adelaide Crows, Carlton, Essendon, Fremantle, Port Adelaide and St Kilda.
The red back jumper will be worn in away matches against the West Coast Eagles and the Western Bulldogs.
