Former NRL premiership winner and current St George Illawarra Dragons NRLW coach Jamie Soward has handed his backing to Jackson Hastings over a radical plan to revolutionise the competition's jerseys.
In a tweet posted in September, Hastings suggested the NRL should put last names on jerseys with a player owning a number throughout the course of the season.
Random thought and personal opinion.
The NRL should think about putting the last names on the back of jerseys on a week to week basis.
Again just my own opinion and plenty would disagree, but seeing my sir name every week on my shirt walking into the locker hit different in SL!— Jackson Hastings (@JackoHastings) September 29, 2023
It was a system that Hastings played under during his time in the English Super League, and one that other major competitions around the world utilise.
Cricket became the latest to adopt the principle of names on jerseys in recent years, with the traditional format of a simple white shirt for the five-day game being added to by a player's number and last name.
Names don't feature on NRL jerseys as it stands, with teams naming 1 to 17 each week, as well as reserves out to number 21. Players then wear those numbers each weekend.
Asked about it on SEN Radio this week, Hastings said he got hammered for the tweet.
"I got hammered on a tweet about it, all the traditionalists came after me," Hastings told SEN radio this week.
"I'm all for tradition as well, there's nothing better than following a tradition or someone that played in the seven jersey.
"But the way that the world is going and the Americanisation of sport, the way pretty much every sport in the world besides us do it.
"Playing in the Super League, I took immense pride in the number I wore and certainly having my last name on the back of my jersey."
It's a vision Jamie Soward agrees with, suggesting it was 'cool' for players to see fans with a player's name on their back.
@JackoHastings is spot on. Squad numbers with names on the back is how we all dreamed of having that.
Seeing fans with your name on their back is cool.
Why do we run down ideas that can make our product better.
Loose the old man โget off my lawnโ mentality.
— Jamie Soward (@sowwowofficial6) November 21, 2023
It has been theorised that names and squad numbers on backs of jerseys would make it easier for casual fans to become invested in the sport, and it's something that has been proven around the world.
NRL players had a taste of squad numbers during the 2022 Rugby League World Cup, when numbers were allocated to players for the duration of the tournament.
