The 2023 NRL Cowboys House polo is available now!
"Mundarlbi" by Renee Wilson
The House polo is the official uniform for students and staff and features the 2023 Cowboys Indigenous design by Mornington Island artist Renee Wilson.
The polo is part of the club's Indigenous range which includes the Cowboys Indigenous jersey, to be worn in NRL Indigenous Round, and the Deadly Choices training tee.
All proceeds from sales of the House polo support our life-changing programs, thanks to the generous support of the Cowboys Leagues Club.
2023 Indigenous design story
The 2023 NRL Cowboys House Polo features the unique design by Indigenous artist Renee Wilson, entitled "Mundarlbi".
“The painting is about a reef on Mornington Island called Mundarlbi. It is a traditional dance that is performed by us; in the dance you can see the actions represent waves and the reef with the waves trying to wash the reef away, but the reef remains.
“The story of this teaches us to be strong like the Mundarlbi reef.
“We can use this in our everyday life because it teaches us to never let anything bring us down.
“It teaches us Pride, Strength and Resilience that generates from our foundations and connections like Identity, Family, Culture and Country.
“Mundarlbi is a traditional Lardil song that was Dreamt by one of our senior songmen Cecil ‘Ngawalin’ Goodman, Ngawalin meaning “hard rock”. This painting is a dedication to him as he has now passed on.”
About the artist
Having grown up around strong cultural leaders and elders from whom she learned a wealth of stories and dance, Lardil (Mornington Island) woman Renee Wilson has continually developed her own style of art.
Having moved between portraiture, landscape, traditional and abstract styles of art, Ms Wilson also danced professionally with the Mornington Island Dancers, touring nationally and internationally between 1997 and 2015.
She began painting in the same year she joined the dance group, playing a pivotal role in the movement away from traditional painting, to develop a contemporary style for Mornington Island artists.
Ms Wilson has been part of group exhibitions in Brisbane, Melbourne and Cairns and has been a finalist in prestigious art awards including The Lester Portraiture Prize (2021) and the Len Fox Painting Prize (2022).
