They may be the prize that every player is desperate to get on their hands, but this season's premiership rings will honour the defenders of the street rather than the try line.
With 2020's design produced to pay homage to relief workers and firefighters that battled Covid and blazes respectively, the pattern adoring the jewellery that will be awarded to either Souths or Penrith on Sunday has been created as a nod of thanks to the 60,000-plus Police men and women across Australia.
Crafted by the hands of Affinity Diamonds following the blue (and white) print concocted by New South Wales' Police Commissioner Mick Fuller, the 17 rings have been built to mimic a ubiquitous design that adorns Police vehicles and hats throughout the nation.
Speaking toย The Daily Telegraph, Fuller explained the depth of his flashy design.
โThe design was done in a way that the top of the ring with blue sapphires and white diamonds looks like a chequered band, which truly reflects not just the national nature of the game NRL but of course policing right across Australia,โ he revealed.
The Charles Sturt University graduate that assumed the state's top law enforcement role in March of 2017 stated that although Police were "often dealing with the worst side of life", the commendation was an apt tribute for "all of the hard work that they have done, not just during Covid but the challenges of policing.โ
According to the aforementioned report, the rings that contain two-carats worth of diamonds and blue sapphires are said to be worth in the vicinity of $10,000 per unit.
The glittering bands will be presented to the victorious side by either Wayne Bennett or Ivan Cleary depending on how the scoreboard reads on Sunday night.
