The Great White Shorts Debate

[Heardy_101]

I was told that the "White shorts rule" has been "relaxed" a little this year, effectively meaning that if the away team has less or not white on their jumpers, and the home team has more or mostly white on their jumper, then the home team wears white shorts while the away team more or less wears their home jumper (even though they're the away team).

However, after watching various Geelong, North and Collingwood games this year, this so called relaxation of the rule is about as inconsistent as the umpiring has been this year.

Examples of where the home team has worn white shorts:
North vs Essendon (North home)
North vs WB (North home)
Geelong vs Melbourne (Geelong home)
St Kilda vs Richmond (St Kilda home)
WCE vs Carlton (WCE home)

There are probably more.

Now, here are examples of where the rule has not been applied:
Geelong vs Richmond (Geelong home)
North vs Brisbane (North home)
Collingwood vs WCE (Pies home)

Again, probably more examples.

Here is an example where both sides have either worn home or away (not one and the other)
North vs GWS (North "home" (in Hobart), GWS wore home charcoal shorts vs North's blue)
Geelong vs North (Geelong wore clash with blue shorts, North wore white with home kit) I think this was a North game?


I personally think if the rule has indeed been relaxed it is horribly inconsistent, and in the case of WCE vs Carlton, the result of where the rule has been applied has ended up with more of a clash. When the camera zoomed out I could almost be forgiven for thinking WCE were wearing their clash jumper at home. Geelong should be wearing white shorts at 90% of their games and so should North, and Collingwood should be wearing white shorts more often.

With the Collingwood example, I would not expect them to wear white shorts at home however their game today (Sat. 23rd June) is no different to the others.

Thoughts? I will also post up some jumper ideas as well and what team should wear vs each other. Cheers.

 

[tazaa]

Happened again today vs Adelaide. I dont understand how Brisbane wore white shorts yet Adelaide didnt.

 

[Heardy_101]

I know, doesn't make sense if you ask me. Either the AFL don't want white shorts or they do.

 

[pazza]

I have the simple solution.

Unless white an official colour, you don't wear it. Therefore in the case of Essendon or Melbourne, everything must be either predominantly red or predominantly black/blue, including numbering. For Richmond, yellow shorts! (hey it worked for Glenelg in the SANFL for years)

 

[Heardy_101]

Bombers used to wear Red shorts at home for donkeys over the years, wasn't until the 80s until they went to black Also strangely enough, Bulldogs also used to wear Red shorts!

I agree, North and Geelong need to ditch the blue shorts, Personally it just doesn't look right. Sure, wear them vs Sydney and find an alternative when they play each other but that's it.

Numbers should stay white unless it's impractical.

Don't remember seeing the Bays wear yellow but I'm sure it would have looked alright!

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Yep more rocket science for the AFL.
It is so simple that a 2 year old could sort it out.

Home team gets to wear their home jumper and their coloured shorts against all teams no matter who they are.
The away side wears white shorts and a jumper that does not clash with the home teams jumper. Again no matter who they are!!

Once again it is mind boggling to think things like this occur still in a professional comp.

 

[fuego]

Yep more rocket science for the AFL.
It is so simple that a 2 year old could sort it out.

Home team gets to wear their home jumper and their coloured shorts against all teams no matter who they are.
The away side wears white shorts and a jumper that does not clash with the home teams jumper. Again no matter who they are!!

Agree just rang the Afl to confirm this rule and asked why the rule doesn't seem to apply to all clubs eg collingwood I think they should be wearing their black home shorts, but other clubs should be wearing their home shorts as well I don't see why the AFL brought this stupid rule in but if it's for every club, every should follow it.

Once again it is mind boggling to think things like this occur still in a professional comp.

 

[tazaa]

Okay so as Carlton were the Away team last Friday night and Collingwood was the home team, THE AFL ALLOWED AND APPROVED Collingwood to wear their white on black home jumper with black shorts.
Carlton as the away team wore white shorts even though it introduced white into their match day apparel.

Im assuming North Melbourne will then be allowed, as the home team, to wear their blue on white home jumper with blue shorts. Correct?
Carlton as the away team should then wear white shorts as their match day apparel.

Stop me if i am not making sense.

 

[Sman-21]

All i know is that it was damn hard to tell the difference between Carlton and Collingwood from behind.
Carlton wearing white shorts made it clash even more.
If they just kept the dark navy shorts it wouldnt of clashed so much.

Or if they desperately wanted someone to wear white shorts it should of been collingwood to avoid any clash.
Making Carlton wear the white shorts made it clash worse.

The idiots have no idea what they are doing.

 

[lynden18]

i bet this friday north vs carl . north white shorts carl navy . why is it pies never wear white shorts when its there home game ,yet last weekend north vs west c , north white shorts again but when pies vs west c , a few weeks ago again pies no white shorts west c in white shorts ....

 

[jethro11]

Because we are dark team with predominantly black jumpers. You are a light team with predominantly white jumpers.

 

[Sman-21]

Because we are dark team with predominantly black jumpers. You are a light team with predominantly white jumpers.

Which is why collingwood should of worn white shorts vs carlton
Carlton are all dark.
Collingwood has just as much white as they do black.
So keep the black back throw on white shorts and it matches the front.

 

[parano1a]

Which is why collingwood should of worn white shorts vs carlton
Carlton are all dark.
Collingwood has just as much white as they do black.
So keep the black back throw on white shorts and it matches the front.

This was a Collingwood home game so the Magpies were entitled to wear the home jumper and black shorts. Carlton have a sky blue alternate strip which would have solved the clash - why does it exist if it isn't used when needed?

In Carlton's home game against Collingwood earlier in the year, Collingwood wore their predominantly white clash strip.

 

[lynden18]

Which is why collingwood should of worn white shorts vs carlton
Carlton are all dark.
Collingwood has just as much white as they do black.
So keep the black back throw on white shorts and it matches the front.

this is what i am piss off about pies are black and white / carlton all navy . pies white shorts , carlton navy , no clash jumper needed . does not matter pies have a dark jumper then .

 

[jethro11]

Which is why collingwood should of worn white shorts vs carlton
Carlton are all dark.
Collingwood has just as much white as they do black.
So keep the black back throw on white shorts and it matches the front.

Or they could of worn their clash jumper like we do against them.