WHILE it might not look quite the same as the one he pulled on in that inaugural State of Origin match in 1980; Mal Meninga believes there is a lot to like about the new Queensland Maroons jersey.
The innovative new jersey features a simple yet striking design which is dominated by one colour the Mighty Maroon of Queensland.
Same colour which is good, a bit of retro I would gather with the colouring we havent had a pure Maroon jersey in my stint with the team (as coach), Meninga said.
I put the Maroon jersey on in 1980 and looking at the colour of the jersey, it wouldnt hide the lumps and bumps these days but it is a little different to the one from 1980.
Its retro but its futuristic as well with all the chevrons and the fancy bits they get on the jersey these days to help ball control.
The full details of the new features can be found here: Canterbury unveils new Maroons jersey
Having played a major part in creating the Origin legacy with his involvement in the game, there is no doubting Meningas grasp on the importance of the past shaping the success of the future.
What pleased him most about the return to a past era was the fact the players themselves pushed to recognise the teams history with the new design.
We get excited about putting the maroon colour on us Queenslanders, Meninga said.
Like I said, the players wanted the colours, so they have a real sense of history, they have a real sense of pride about where the game has come from and their standing in the game as well.
They certainly want to leave their legacy when they retire and they see the complete maroon colour jersey as the pride of Queensland, that is why they chose that and thats why they want to put it on.
