For the first time in NRL history, a club is wearing a cultural-themed jersey in their finals campaign.

The Penrith Panthers wore their alternate/Pasifika jersey in week one of the finals and will do the same in this week’s preliminary final.

The Panthers have worn their heritage jerseys in previous finals campaigns but this is the first time an NRL club has worn a cultural themed jersey in the finals.

“It’s massive from [head coach] Ivan [Cleary] to allow us to do that,” said star five-eighth Jarome Luai.

Luai, who has Samoan heritage, said he wasn’t sure if it was because he, James Fisher-Harris (Maori heritage) and Sunia Turuva (Fijian heritage) were leaving at the end of the season, but said he knew Cleary loved to celebrate everybody’s cultures at the club.

“It’s a very diverse, multicultural community that we have here and individually we just all celebrate each other and it’s pretty cool – nice touch there from Ivan, hopefully we can bring it home for him in that jersey.”

Popular winger Brian To’o and forwards enforcer Moses Leota both agreed.

“It’s pretty cool that we have the opportunity to wear that kind of jersey with obviously the Pacific culture and background behind it,” To’o said.

“I think it’s special because we have a lot of Pasifika players in the team and we draw a lot from that jersey and it’s always good to go out there wearing it,” Leota added.

The jersey was first released during the multicultural round earlier in the year and was designed this year by former Panthers and Samoa International player Frank Puletua.

In the 2024 NRL Premiership playing group, almost half of players have Pasifika heritage, and of the 17 NRL clubs, the Penrith Panthers have led the way in recognising these players as significant stakeholders in the game, Puletua said.

“I hope it reflects the composition of the playing group and how proud the boys have made the community in the way that they’ve represented not only the region but also their people.

“You can see that it obviously has a profound effect on the players in the way that they perform and in the way that they conduct themselves.”

The boys believe the buy-in from the club in embracing their Pacific culture has been a huge factor in its success leading to their fifth straight preliminary and potentially grand final appearance.

“Oh 100 per cent — it’s our DNA, our foundation of what we build on at the club,” To’o said.

Leota said a lot of the players in the club had Pasifika heritage and loved their people, for whom they play week in and week out.

“Every time we step out onto the field we’re always playing for our people, our family and it means a lot,” he said.

Luai agreed, adding that on his last trip to Samoa in the off-season, he visited his grandmother’s village.

“It was a very special moment for myself, very humbling and a time that I’ll never forget, so I’ll be thinking of them when we wear this jersey.”

The Penrith Panthers take on the Cronulla Sharks wearing their Pasifika jerseys in the preliminary final this Saturday, September 28.

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