A flickering golden age of sporting kit, peaking at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup with cool gear from Jamaica, Japan and Nigeria, has been brought to an unflattering end by the Tasmania Devils, the AFL’s newest club.

The long-awaited team’s guernsey, featuring a childlike primrose yellow map of Tasmania with a rose-red “T” on a myrtle green backdrop, recalls a bygone era when Australians were happy sourcing colours from well-thumbed English gardening guides and “sheila” was a popular pronoun.

The unveiling of the Tasmanian Devils jersey and club logo in Devonport on Monday.Credit: Getty Images

The restraint in not placing an apple beside the “T” should be admired, but Tasmania deserves better.

There’s a naivete to the design reminiscent of the photo editing skills of Catherine, Princess of Wales, but hold the Tasmanian guernsey up against those from mainland teams and in words familiar to viewers of the ABC drama Rosehaven, it “couldn’t hack it”.

Collingwood’s black and white stripes reflect the dogged determination of its supporters. The Sydney Swans’ guernsey plays with the familiar lines of the Sydney Opera House, while the West Coast Eagles’ bird head has the brash spirit of........

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