Group 20 rugby league
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A NAME that is synonymous with Griffith rugby league will soon be consigned to the history books.
The Black and Whites - one of the oldest clubs in Group 20 - will eventually be known solely as the Griffith Panthers, president Steve Parr has confirmed.
The shift is part of an effort to modernise the once-successful club which has struggled on and off the field over the last five years.
The Black and Whites last year commissioned a Melbourne graphic designer to come up with a striking new logo featuring a panther, and it has been so well received that the club's unique, old-style nickname will be slowly phased out as a result.
While mindful of the club's proud history, Parr said the Black and Whites had to 'move with the times'.
"We're giving the younger generation a logo and a name that they can get around. This is our bid to win over a few more of them," Parr said.
"At the moment I try and link both the names together, and call them the Black and White Panthers.
"But years down the track we will just be called the Panthers. The juniors coming through all know themselves as the Panthers."
The Panthers name came about when the Black and Whites effectively overtook the Griffith Junior Rugby League Football Club following moves from Yenda and the Waratahs to establish their own junior bases.
"It just seemed to suit the club, especially with the juniors already having that logo," Parr said.
The decision to move away from the old name has not upset anyone either, the president said.
"That's the reason why we started our Old Boys club - to keep the club's history intact.
"Before, all the different committees would collect their old memorabilia and constitutions - now there's an office and we've got it all together.
"I put (the new name) out there last year and sent some letters and I haven't had any complaints about it. If the older generation has a complaint they can voice it, but so far it's all positive."
The big challenge, however, is finding a way to transfer the reputation and state-wide recognition of the Black and Whites to the new nickname
Parr said there is only one way to do that.
"Hopefully with a few wins under our belt, we make a new name for ourselves and forge it ourselves," he said.
"If you talk to guys up the coast or in Sydney and talk about rugby league in Griffith, they'd say the Black and Whites. Everyone knows us. But soon they'll know us by another name."