Should NRL teams be restricted to one jersey design?

All NRL teams wearing their jerseys (Getty Images: Matt King)

I have heard some pretty heated debates on the radio recently about whether or not NRL teams should be restricted to one or two strips maximum – one in their normal colours and a reverse strip for when they play teams of a similar colour. At the moment it seems teams have more than just these two standard strips, an example being The Dragons with a commemorative strip created for the Anzac Day game.
On the radio there were calls from people who thought it was unfair that teams could have multiple strips as it meant there is constant pressure to purchase a new jersey each time the strip changes which can be very costly. Other callers loved the fact that the strip changes and that they can collect all the different designs.
I think (and I am trying my best not to be biased as it is pretty obvious that I love merchandise!) that even if they restrict the league to one strip there will still be a huge range of other merchandise available that the die hard fans will buy anyway. I don’t see that there should be any pressure to buy a new jersey each time there is a new design, it is not like it is a requirement of being a fan that you need to purchase a new jersey each time they create one. Many people become very sentimental towards their jerseys also and wear the same one for 20 years!
The other thing to consider is that most teams will change sponsors on a yearly basis and so while the design won’t change completely, the featured sponsors will and so technically there is a new jersey each year. So in my mind I think that it is a good thing that the teams create new jersey designs to commemorate special occasions especially for the Womens in League round which happened this weekend and it is really up to you, the fan, as to whether or not you purchase the new design or not.
What do you think?

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