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Behind the scenes with Rabbitoh21
What was the inspiration for this portfolio?
The EA AFL 2000 portfolio originally had me thinking about what a video game war between the ARL and Super League would have looked like. In my head, the ARL’s partnership with EA would have meant ARL 97, probably based on the Jonah Lomu Rugby engine, while the Super League, whose referees were sponsored by PlayStation, might have partnered with Sony to do a league game based on the NFL GameDay series. Then, I thought about what AFL teams might have looked like in rugby jerseys in the 90s. Some people call it a superpower but they don't have to deal with the NDIS…
How did you come up with the designs for the clubs?
Some of them were relatively easy. I mostly did them in alphabetical order. I came up with a simple conversion in my head: vertically striped teams I'd put in hoops, sashes become vee’s and yokes become saddles, etc. Then, I let my head take over and dive into the 90s aesthetic of weirdness.
Adelaide were originally going to be in the Easts style hoops with gold replacing white, but I went with the Sydney Tigers style hoops instead but also tried to remove a dark clash by using the SA colorway.
Carlton could have been really boring without a monogram so I decided to take inspiration from the Jets and Steelers.
Essendon I had wearing a V but decided to go “supersonic” with another Tigers design. I figured it was the 1990s, so a natural progression.
Fitzroy bears resemblance to Norths - two proud clubs who the 1990s weren't kind to. I focused on their “maroon, blue and gold” while turning a relatively simple banded design into a more exciting Norths-style design.
Footscray was easy - its resemblance to Souths’ Minties strip was definitely accidental…
Melbourne I wanted to give a V initially but thought a Knights styled yoke gave them a bit more flair.
West Coast was tricky - I didn't want them to look like Parramatta in navy but without the existence of the tripanel back then I had to avoid white. I feel like theirs is the weakest so I tried to tie them in with the WA origin design.
For Collingwood and Richmond, simpler is better. I felt that the most Tiger-esque design was hoops akin to their former vertical stripes. For Collingwood, they're black and white. Butcher stripes like their pinstripes gives them a point of difference and a classy look befitting them.
For the SL clubs it's trickier - Hawthorn and North get psychadeli-fied but stay true to their colours. Geelong get the Cowboys-style yoke with stripes as we needed an extra light coloured contrasting kit. St Kilda get a nod to the Crusader that they wore in the preseason the year prior and Freo take the yoke and use it, quite literally, to anchor their jersey.
For the new clubs, it was make or take a design and recolour it.
Of the “new” designs, I like the Sharks one most. The Chargers and Giants have a baby with Southport’s V as the “meat” of the sandwich. Also, a shark fin resembles the state outline, who knew?
New Zealand I'm not proud of but it's bad enough to be what the 90s would have dished up.
How did you decide loyal or rebel clubs?
The Super League war in rugby league was based around having teams across the country. The key was nationalising the comp but keeping SOME heartland clubs.
In my universe, Geelong was a key battleground as a regional one-club town. SL throws money into Kardinia Park to secure the deal.
Hawthorn, St Kilda and North were all in merger talks but key “Melbourne” clubs - could you blame them for joining SL with the money and safety offered, vs the AFL who were turning the screws on them?
The WAFC and SANFL, and therefore the Eagles and Crows, are likely to stay with the AFL to ensure Origin and all that. Fremantle and Port have no such obligations and, in Port's case, a foot in the door potentially, and are easy candidates to jump and have the cities to themselves. I reckon Port would actually have loved to jump, given the roadblocks that the AFL and SANFL had put in front of them, plus they get to remain the Magpies in SL. No brainer, for mine.
Their jersey takes the idea of the prison bars and turns it around, resembling Penrith’s 1991 design. They also have the benefit of their existing sponsorship deal, while other club’s sponsors have withdrawn from the “rebel” competitions. They are the only SL club with their own badge as they already existed but had no licensing issues with the AFL.
How did you decide the Grand Finals and Origin/All Stars results?
Googled 1997 State of Origin and Finals Series results and, in the case of the All Stars, just guessed. Looked at the Prelims, sprinkled some poetic license on the results and there you go.
What about the other stuff in the backstory?
ASD, ADHD and too much free time on that particular day.
What was the inspiration for this portfolio?
The EA AFL 2000 portfolio originally had me thinking about what a video game war between the ARL and Super League would have looked like. In my head, the ARL’s partnership with EA would have meant ARL 97, probably based on the Jonah Lomu Rugby engine, while the Super League, whose referees were sponsored by PlayStation, might have partnered with Sony to do a league game based on the NFL GameDay series. Then, I thought about what AFL teams might have looked like in rugby jerseys in the 90s. Some people call it a superpower but they don't have to deal with the NDIS…
How did you come up with the designs for the clubs?
Some of them were relatively easy. I mostly did them in alphabetical order. I came up with a simple conversion in my head: vertically striped teams I'd put in hoops, sashes become vee’s and yokes become saddles, etc. Then, I let my head take over and dive into the 90s aesthetic of weirdness.
Adelaide were originally going to be in the Easts style hoops with gold replacing white, but I went with the Sydney Tigers style hoops instead but also tried to remove a dark clash by using the SA colorway.
Carlton could have been really boring without a monogram so I decided to take inspiration from the Jets and Steelers.
Essendon I had wearing a V but decided to go “supersonic” with another Tigers design. I figured it was the 1990s, so a natural progression.
Fitzroy bears resemblance to Norths - two proud clubs who the 1990s weren't kind to. I focused on their “maroon, blue and gold” while turning a relatively simple banded design into a more exciting Norths-style design.
Footscray was easy - its resemblance to Souths’ Minties strip was definitely accidental…
Melbourne I wanted to give a V initially but thought a Knights styled yoke gave them a bit more flair.
West Coast was tricky - I didn't want them to look like Parramatta in navy but without the existence of the tripanel back then I had to avoid white. I feel like theirs is the weakest so I tried to tie them in with the WA origin design.
For Collingwood and Richmond, simpler is better. I felt that the most Tiger-esque design was hoops akin to their former vertical stripes. For Collingwood, they're black and white. Butcher stripes like their pinstripes gives them a point of difference and a classy look befitting them.
For the SL clubs it's trickier - Hawthorn and North get psychadeli-fied but stay true to their colours. Geelong get the Cowboys-style yoke with stripes as we needed an extra light coloured contrasting kit. St Kilda get a nod to the Crusader that they wore in the preseason the year prior and Freo take the yoke and use it, quite literally, to anchor their jersey.
For the new clubs, it was make or take a design and recolour it.
Of the “new” designs, I like the Sharks one most. The Chargers and Giants have a baby with Southport’s V as the “meat” of the sandwich. Also, a shark fin resembles the state outline, who knew?
New Zealand I'm not proud of but it's bad enough to be what the 90s would have dished up.
How did you decide loyal or rebel clubs?
The Super League war in rugby league was based around having teams across the country. The key was nationalising the comp but keeping SOME heartland clubs.
In my universe, Geelong was a key battleground as a regional one-club town. SL throws money into Kardinia Park to secure the deal.
Hawthorn, St Kilda and North were all in merger talks but key “Melbourne” clubs - could you blame them for joining SL with the money and safety offered, vs the AFL who were turning the screws on them?
The WAFC and SANFL, and therefore the Eagles and Crows, are likely to stay with the AFL to ensure Origin and all that. Fremantle and Port have no such obligations and, in Port's case, a foot in the door potentially, and are easy candidates to jump and have the cities to themselves. I reckon Port would actually have loved to jump, given the roadblocks that the AFL and SANFL had put in front of them, plus they get to remain the Magpies in SL. No brainer, for mine.
Their jersey takes the idea of the prison bars and turns it around, resembling Penrith’s 1991 design. They also have the benefit of their existing sponsorship deal, while other club’s sponsors have withdrawn from the “rebel” competitions. They are the only SL club with their own badge as they already existed but had no licensing issues with the AFL.
How did you decide the Grand Finals and Origin/All Stars results?
Googled 1997 State of Origin and Finals Series results and, in the case of the All Stars, just guessed. Looked at the Prelims, sprinkled some poetic license on the results and there you go.
What about the other stuff in the backstory?
ASD, ADHD and too much free time on that particular day.
