Jersey Competition /

2021 Winner - Ashleigh Banks 

Your Gold Coast Titans will proudly wear their 2021 Indigenous Jersey when they take on the Sharks in Round 12 and Sea Eagles in Round 15. The jersey is the result of collaboration which involved emerging Indigenous artist Ash-leigh Banks, the clubs’ Indigenous players and Dynasty Sport's international design team.

"The artwork I have created represents the players as they walk proudly (footprints) onto the field for each and every Titans game, carrying their culture on their backs” Banks said.

“The mixture of blues in this painting and stingrays represents the Torres Strait Islander players, and the sandy tones and emu's representing the Aboriginal players with them both coming together in the middle to represent the Titans as one family"

2020 Winner - Laura Pitt 

Connection with community, passion, support and togetherness are the key messages from the inspiring artwork “Healing” from Coffs Harbour artist Laura Pitt, that has been chosen as the design for the Gold Coast Titans 2020 Indigenous jersey.

After a competition calling on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to submit their entries, Laura’s creation was a popular choice from the list of finalists to be the basis for the Titans Indigenous jersey this season.

All entries were required to use the Titans’ colours of sea, sand and sky to tell a story about the Club, its connection to the region and its commitment to community values.

Laura’s striking design more than fits the brief, with the representation of a gathering to represent coming together as a community, at the heart of the artwork.

“The blue circles in the middle with the symbols on the outside represent the Titans community,” Laura’s entry stated.

“Passion is represented through the coloured dots surrounding the players and supporters with links of the blue and ochre lines that merge together as one.

“The handprints and blue and white waterholes surrounding the area represent connection to the land. The blue and yellow healing leaves represent the resilience of the team that play together and heal together.”

Laura said being given the chance to tell her story through art had been a passion since childhood, and said she could not wait to see her creation transformed into a Titans jersey.

“I love football, I am a big football fan,” Laura said. “I love to follow it, and I wanted to be able to interpret my life story into the artwork to go onto the jersey, because it is a really big thing – especially for the indigenous players at the club.

“I was just inspired by my culture. I paint all the time, I have since I was a little kid

“There are messages about healing, support and togetherness. But the message about connection with the community is a really big thing.”

But she revealed the 2020 Titans Indigenous jersey will not be the first time that Laura’s art and rugby league have come together.

“I actually designed the Indigenous All-Star jersey in 2019,” she said. “It was a big eye-opener for me, but I loved it.”

As part of her prize for creating the winning design, Laura will receive $2000, a signed and framed Titans Indigenous jersey featuring her design, a photo with Titans Head Coach Justin Holbrook and the Titans Indigenous players wearing her design, and four tickets to see the Titans play in her jersey at Cbus Super Stadium.

“To win this with the Titans, it is amazing,” Laura said. “I was blown away to find out that I had won it. I am very, very proud to represent my people and my culture.

“To be up there to watch them wear the jersey in a game is going to be amazing.”

2019 Winner – Tyler Smith

“Stronger as one” is the powerful theme of the Gold Coast Titans’ 2019 Indigenous jersey.

The emotive and thoughtful design, based on artwork titled “Korowa tarig” by rising Newcastle artist Tyler Smith, was chosen as the winner of the Gold Coast Titans Indigenous jersey design competition.

Smith’s design beat a hot field for the honour of being turned into the Titans’ 2019 Indigenous jersey, to be worn in the Round 19 clash against the Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium on 27 July.

Competing artists were told their designs must reflect the Titans club, and the values of passion, resilience and community. Smith’s design more than delivered on the brief.

“Korowa tarig means ‘the sea coast’ in the traditional language of the Awabakal people,” Smith explains.

“The beauty of the Gold Coast is recognised around the world. My artwork represents its unique beaches and ocean life, which attract so many people every year and is something the locals should have much pride in."

“The illustration shows a school of fish swimming together as they are stronger as one. This also represents the essential teamwork needed to be a successful football team and organization.”

“My father does Aboriginal art, and he taught me that art usually starts with the local area, the local animals, the landscape and the geography of the area. That is where I got my style from."

“It is going to be awesome to see it. It hasn’t really hit me yet that they team will be wearing a jersey that I designed,” he said. “I think it probably won’t hit me until after the game, but I reckon it will be a bit surreal.