The Essendon Football Club has recalled the retail version of its 2024 Dreamtime Guernsey after an error was identified.
The retail version includes an error in the bottom right-hand corner of the guernsey where a map of the Tiwi Islands has been incorrectly inverted.
The design file error was provided to the manufacturer, resulting in the retail version of the jumper being inconsistent with the original artwork.
After consulting with Tiwi artist Russellina Puruntatameri and other community leads, the decision to recall the retail jumper was made.
Essendon CEO Craig Vozzo said: “We are proud of our Dreamtime jumper and the story it tells about the rich culture of the Tiwi Islands and its peoples. The cultural integrity of our guernsey is of utmost importance. The design’s meaning is deep and powerful and our guernsey should exactly reflect the artwork,” Vozzo said.
“Russellina has crafted a powerful piece of art but once the error was identified and after consulting with her, we didn’t feel it was appropriate to move forward with a retail version that wasn’t completely accurate to her original design."
"Importantly, the AFL players representing Essendon during Sir Doug Nicholls Round will be wearing the correct artist-designed Dreamtime guernsey.”