THE Newcastle Knights have unveiled a striking new alternate kit for the next two seasons and will consider reprising their 1988 "original" strip in 2011.
The Herald can exclusively reveal today the new away jerseys the Knights will wear from next year.
Manufactured by KooGa, the predominantly white jumpers will feature blue and red panels on the shoulders and a prominent Knights watermark motif on the front.
They will be accompanied by white shorts and socks with blue and red trim.
The new kit will replace the silver away outfit the Knights have worn for their past two campaigns.
The home kit will remain unchanged for at least one more season, but Knights officials are already considering a return to the 1988 jersey that was popularly received in three games this year.
Newcastle wore replicas of their inaugural jersey in May for Heritage Round and also for their last home game of the season, to commemorate Old Boys Day.
The players were so smitten with the jumpers that Knights officials gained permission from the NRL to wear them in the finals.
That leeway is unlikely to be extended next year because of marketing and merchandising stipulations, Knights chief executive Steve Burraston explained yesterday.
"Under the NRL's regulations, we have to keep the same home jumper for three seasons and the alternate jumper for two seasons," Burraston said. "It is two seasons since our last change, so next year we'll have a new alternate jumper, and we're confident it will prove a popular one with our fans."
Burraston said returning to the original strip, which Newcastle wore from seasons 1988 to 1996, could be an option in 2011.
"Certainly all the feedback we've had, from our fans and the players, is that those jumpers are very popular," he said.
Other NRL clubs such as Canberra and Cronulla have returned in recent seasons to their inaugural jerseys.
Newcastle's new white jerseys are expected to retail for about $170 and should be on sale before Christmas.
Supporters can sign a waiting list at the Knights Kingdom Store to ensure their purchase when the jumpers are released.
Meanwhile, Knights veteran Adam MacDougall has withdrawn from the Prime Minister's XIII to play Papua New Guinea on Sunday week in Port Moresby because of a knee injury.
A surprise selection as 18th man in the squad, the 34-year-old has been replaced by Manly winger Michael Robertson.
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