It was not only because of their purple jerseys that the Griffons (formerly Northern Free State) became known as the Purple People Eaters, but also because of the way in which they ground out wins against bigger teams on regular occasions. Not as strong as they used to be, the Griffons are still no easy-beats, especially when they play at home on the rock hard surface of Welkom's North West Stadium. The Griffons have benefitted a great deal from draft players sent to Welkom by the Cheetahs in recent years, culminating in them winning the Absa Currie Cup First Division in 2008.