The four-peat chasing team boasts a colourful history of kit design, from the brown of NSWRL days to the ‘liquorice allsorts’ jersey of the 2000s

Fans call rugby league tough, others might describe it as brutish. But tune in on Sunday evening for the NRL grand final between Melbourne and Penrith and the television will skew more Barbie pink than black and blue. The normally coal-coloured Panthers will be looking to win their fourth-straight premiership in their alternative strip – the first time a pink jersey will feature in a grand final.

The appearance of the Panthers’ pink strip this weekend is partly by chance. The Storm finished as minor premiers, and will therefore wear their blue and purple home jerseys in the highly-anticipated decider. Penrith’s normal black jersey is tonally too similar, so they will adopt their secondary strip.