The joint-venture outfit collaborated with Holsworthy Army Barracks, who sighted and approved all of the collateral relating to the original jersey. The image in question is a stock photo purchased from the club’s apparel partner. The final design was approved by NRL licensing.

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Both the Australian and New Zealand flags were represented on the jersey’s shoulders in a nod to the Anzacs. The camouflage pattern is an authentic replica of that used by the Australian Army, which has been digitised and grey-scaled. However, the backlash prompted a redesign.

Tigers prop David Klemmer only became aware of the drama when he arrived at Concord for training on Wednesday morning.

“First thing, I walked in this morning and it hit me square in the nose,” Klemmer said. “I don’t think the club went out of their way to make a jersey [that was disrespectful], or disrespect anyone or cause any harm. Their hearts were in the right place. They thought they were doing the right thing.

“They are going to pull the jersey, make a new one and the jerseys we do wear are going to be auctioned off for charity. They’ve manned up. They’ve knocked it on the head, we’ve all knocked it on the head, did the right thing.

“I know we are open to all sorts of criticism because we are not doing so well. The biggest thing we can do is acknowledge it. We’ve coughed one up. But the club has done the right thing to fix it.

“We can’t hide from [the criticism], we just have to acknowledge it and knock it on the head. We are the only ones that can get us out of this rut with some better performances and some wins.”

The Tigers face another difficult challenge in their bid to earn a first win of the season, against Parramatta on Easter Monday. Coach Tim Sheens has again changed his spine, shifting Adam Doueihi from fullback to five-eighth, with Charlie Staines returning to fullback. The Eels, meanwhile, welcome back Shaun Lane from a broken jaw.

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