NRL Heritage Round
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 101 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 a club which had inherited a 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. It 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 examples of jerseys worn in Heritage Round reflect the jersey worn by a side when it first entered the NRL include that worn by the Brisbane Broncos, South Sydney Rabbitohs, St George Illawarra Dragons or Sydney Roosters. The design or colours of a jersey might 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 marked the first Jersey in predominantly purple colours.
Heritage Round 2008 - Centenary of Rugby League
The first NRL Heritage Round was played out in Round 6, 2008. It was set down to celebrate the anniversary of the first round of the 1908 premiership.[1] Teams wore jerseys reflecting their club or region's first season in the competition.
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Gold Coast Titans | 26-24 | Brisbane Broncos | 18 April 2008, 7:30pm | Skilled Park | Tony Archer | 27,176 | ||
| Parramatta Eels | 16-20 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 18 April 2008, 7:30pm | Parramatta Stadium | Shayne Hayne | 14,025 | ||
 Bulldogs |
30-18 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 19 April 2008, 5:30pm | ANZ Stadium | Bernard Sutton | 14,767 | ||
 North Queensland Cowboys |
48-20 |  New Zealand Warriors |
19 April 2008, 7:30pm | Dairy Farmers Stadium | Jason Robinson | 20,554 | ||
| Cronulla Sharks | 20-21 | Penrith Panthers | 19 April 2008, 7:30pm | Toyota Stadium | Sean Hampstead | 13,852 | ||
| Sydney Roosters | 20-34 |  Newcastle Knights |
20 April 2008, 2:00pm | Bluetongue Stadium | Steve Lyons | 14,176 | ||
| Wests Tigers | 30-10 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 20 April 2008, 3:00pm | Sydney Cricket Ground | Ben Cummins | 19,122 | ||
| Canberra Raiders | 16-23 | Melbourne Storm | 21 April 2008, 7:00pm | Canberra Stadium | Jared Maxwell | 15,550 | ||
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, in which Hazem El Masri played his 300th career game, that 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.
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Brisbane Broncos | 32-18 | Gold Coast Titans | 15 May 2009, 7:35pm | Suncorp Stadium | Gavin Badger Shane Hayne |
43,079 | ||
| St George Illawarra Dragons | 20-18 | Bulldogs |
15 May 2009, 7:35pm | WIN Jubilee Oval | Tony Archer Ashley Klein |
18,415 | ||
| Sydney Roosters | 6-38 |  Newcastle Knights |
16 May 2009, 5:30pm | Sydney Football Stadium | Chris James Steve Lyons |
8,611 | ||
| Penrith Panthers | 26-22 | Cronulla Sharks | 16 May 2009, 7:30pm | CUA Stadium | Jared Maxwell Gerard Sutton |
11,750 | ||
 New Zealand Warriors |
12-34 | North Queensland Cowboys | 17 May 2009, 12:00pm | Mt Smart Stadium | Ben Cummins Alan Shortall |
16,345 | ||
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 34-10 | Parramatta Eels | 17 May 2009, 2:00pm | Brookvale Oval | Gavin Badger Tony De Las Heras |
15,916 | ||
| Wests Tigers | 22-23 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 17 May 2009, 3:00pm | Sydney Cricket Ground | Ashley Klein Jason Robinson |
29,970 | ||
| Melbourne Storm | 46-6 | Canberra Raiders | 18 May 2009, 7:00pm | Olympic Park Stadium | Tony Archer Brett Suttor |
10,112 | ||