Celebrating Kevin Stevens: The Story Behind the 2025 Indigenous Jersey
The Sydney Roosters’ have continued the tradition of honouring a former player on the annual Indigenous jersey, with their name proudly presented in the unique ‘Boomerang V’ design.
This year, the 2025 Indigenous Jersey is dedicated to Rooster #637 Kevin Stevens.
Designed by his niece Casey Armfield-Stevens, the jersey highlights themes of family and home,
strongly reflecting the ethos the Sydney Roosters are built on.
Kevin ‘Stumpy’ Stevens arrived at Easts with his brother Terry, both proud Gumbaynggirr men from South Grafton, the pair would go on to share the field in the 1973 and ’74 seasons.
Stumpy was an instrumental piece to the champion sides of the 1970’s, displaying versatility, team-first attitude, and above all, a tenacity he would become famous for in his seven seasons at Bondi.
A testament to his hard work throughout the 1975 season, Steven’s was named at starting Lock position in the Grand Final. This saw the likes of established locks Ron Coote and Barry Reilly shuffled to different positions. The Roosters would famously go on to dominate the Grand Final, beating St George 38-0.
Stevens collected many accolades in his 103 first-grade games for Easts. Playing Lock in the 1975 and 1978 Amco Mid-Season Cup winning teams, five-eighth in the 1974 Wills Preseason Cup victory, and halfback in the World Club Challenge one year later, where he would score a try.
Stevens also became the third Indigenous man to reach the prestigious 100 game milestone at the Club.
Steven’s niece, Casey Armfield-Stevens, leapt at the opportunity to represent her uncle and family in this year’s Jersey design.
“It's an amazing opportunity and something that I definitely wanted to do for my uncle,” Armfield-Stevens noted, “I’m speechless, over the moon and honoured.”
Casey’s main design themes revolve around ‘Family’ and ‘Home, a place of belonging.’
Illustrating this are six bright stars on the jersey that offer two meanings.
The first, a homage to her childhood, where her earliest and fondest memories are watching the stars over their hut at Jackadgery with her father and uncle, a place they still visit and come together as a family.
The second, the six stars representing the members of Kevin’s direct family; his parents James and Edna and his siblings Aileen, Roger, Terry and of course Kevin.
The two circles illustrate Kevin’s and Terry’s brotherly bond, with Casey explaining their connection was more than just blood, they strengthened their relationship through footy.
“Kevin and dad are both very strong independent men. They love their family and will do anything for them, it’s that real family connection,” she said.
The symbols around the circles represent the many teammates and supporters throughout their careers.
Tying into the theme of ‘Home’, Casey integrated their family totem of the eel-tailed catfish alongside the water that runs through the artwork; a representation of the river between Jackadgery to Cangai.
The six symbols underneath the number represent Kevin's family. His wife Kathy, daughter Kylie, son Grant and his three grandchildren Ivy, Daisy and Freddie. Further strengthening the family identity that Armfield-Stevens has illustrated in this design.
Kevin’s proud son Grant Stevens relives the hard working, passionate father Kevin is.
“He instilled a lot of good values in me as a young person,” Grant said. “Qualities he still drives home to this day.”
Finding out that this year’s Jersey was dedicated to his father, he was overcome with a sense of pride.
“I was pretty overwhelmed; it’s pretty special opportunity for our family.”
Grant believes a jersey honouring his father isn’t just a fluke or circumstance, he earned it by being a hard-working passionate player that gave his all for Roosters every single day.
“As a kid I remember listening to him talk about how he would get to training an hour before to do extras… and he’d be there an hour after to do more.”
“Because he knew he wasn’t the most skilful footballer, he knew that hard work and being the fittest was going to get him there. As well as the importance of all the little things.”
“It's a great opportunity, one he took with both hands, he really set his sights on making it.”
“He was very, very disciplined. He never took shortcuts and made sure that you were doing the right thing.”
“There was right and wrong and if you weren't doing the right thing, he would let you know about it, that's for sure!”
Kevin’s stint as a Rooster was impactful to thousands, whether it was fans that wanted to play like him, or players that wanted to be better than him. On the field, he was an anomaly that became a force to be reckoned with.
But his son Grant saw another side of him that not many people did.
“He never talks about what he's done or who he is. He's always been so humble about his achievements. If you see him at the pub, he’s always so nice to you.”
“He's a real Jack Gibson footballer.”
This humble, down to earth side of Kevin is one that Grant proudly cherishes.
This sense of pride Grant possesses for his father, is instrumental in how he lives his life, as well as his own footy career.
“I started at Bellambi where he finished, and now I play at South Grafton where he started,” mirroring his father’s community footballing career.
“I can still remember the day; I won the premiership with the (South Grafton) Rebels in 2015. It was pretty special to share something with him that we both achieved, to win a premiership with the Rebels.”
As well as his footy career, Grant also follows in his father’s footsteps in being a mentor and role model in the Indigenous community, working with Aboriginal youth in high schools.
“He's been someone that's instilled a lot of good things in me and hopefully I'm doing him proud by giving back to my community.”
Above all, the 2025 Rooster’s Indigenous Jersey is a testament to a man loved by many on the footy field, and at home by the ones close to him.
A strong Indigenous man and a true inspiration, Rooster #637 Kevin Stevens.
