| You can purchase our 2017 Indigenous jersey HERE |
In Sydney for the NRL's launch of the 2017 Indigenous Round on Monday morning, nib Newcastle Knight Dane Gagai explained the meanings of different facets of the Club's new jersey.
He said the big message from the jersey that he co-designed with Jaelen Feeney is inclusiveness.
"With this jersey we've got the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander coming together where the water (blue segments) meets the land (red segment)," he explained.
"We also put the Southern Cross on the top, and that symbolises that we want to include all Australians.
"You don't have to be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander to be proud of wearing this jersey."
Gagai and Feeney spent several months designing the jersey, and it's design also relates to them on personal levels.
"We've got Jaelen's family totem and my family totem," Gagai said.
"Totems symbolise the family that you come from... they show where you're from and relate back to your mob."
Gagai's shovel-nosed shark totem is on the blue segment of the jersey, while Feeney's gecko totem is on the red segment.
Gagai also explained that they had to seek permission from Newcastle's land councils to include design elements that are unique to the area.
"Jaelen went and got permission from all the land councils around Newcastle, and then we asked if they wanted anything in particular put on the jersey," Gagai said.
"They just said do the jersey proud, so there's a bit of everything on there."
The back of the jersey is an interpretation of the Aboriginal flag, with the yellow numbers signifying the sun.
The Knights will be wearing the Indigenous jersey when they take on the Canberra Raiders at McDonald Jones Stadium this Sunday.
