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Jye Gray incident divides NRL as Souths bunker controversy erupts in loss to Dolphins

Gray's penalty try against the Dolphins sparked heated debate between NRL fans.

andrew reid
·5-min read

The Dolphins ended the Rabbitohs' five-game winning streak with an impressive eight-point victory at home on Thursday night but one incident sparked heated debate across the NRL world. Wayne Bennett's Dolphins came flying out of the blocks when Jack Bostock grabbed the opening try after just five minutes but Jye Gray hit back in somewhat controversial fashion after being awarded a penalty try for Souths.

Gray showed superb initiative to toe through a loose pass from teammate Jai Arrow as the Bunnies attacked 10 metres out from the Dolphins' tryline. The quick-thinking play from the Rabbitohs fullback caught his opposite number Trai Fuller off guard and the Dolphins No.1 could be seen grabbing at Gray as he tried to regather the footy and put it down over the line.

Jye Gray was awarded a penalty try for Souths that divided NRL fans in the game against the Dolphins. Pic: Nine/Getty
Jye Gray was awarded a penalty try for Souths that divided NRL fans in the game against the Dolphins. Pic: Nine/Getty

The Souths fullback still managed to get to the footy first despite being impeded by Fuller but spilled the ball over the tryline. However, the bunker deemed that the illegal act from Fuller was enough to stop Gray from scoring and awarded Souths the try, much to the surprise of Fox League commentators Michael Ennis and Warren Smith.

“He still gets to the ball so I’m not sure he (Fuller) disadvantages Gray. He just loses it," Ennis said. “That might sound crazy because it looks like a professional foul, but I don’t think that’s the reason he doesn’t score. I think he’s got ample time to catch the footy and get to it.”

Warren Smith added: “I wasn’t expecting that (penalty try) given the work he still had to do... (But) If he doesn’t get the interference from Fuller I think he gets to the ball as it hits the turf and he just squishes it (down)... I’d have said this is a professional foul and sin bin as opposed to a penalty try.

ABC journalist Quentin Hull was equally perplexed by the penalty try call and suggested there would be riots if it happened against Queensland in the State of Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium. “Oh wow... I cannot believe that," Hull said on ABC Radio.

Jye Gray was clearly obstructed by Trai Fuller before dropping the footy over the tryline. Pic: Nine
Jye Gray was clearly obstructed by Trai Fuller before dropping the footy over the tryline. Pic: Nine

“A player fumbles the ball in the in-goal area after running through the infringement and a drop ball results in a penalty try? Is that what rugby league in 2024 is? Apparently yes. If that happens to a guy in blue at the cauldron at the back end of the decider on Wednesday, the refs will need security guards by the dozen to get out of the joint.”

The absurdity of the argument against the bunker's call is that Gray could have taken a dive knowing he was obstructed by Fuller and would have almost certainly been awarded a penalty try. To Gray's credit though he still attempted to get the ball down. And as plenty of other fans pointed out in support of the penalty try call, there's a very good chance Gray would have grounded the footy if he had a clean play at it.

Despite the controversy, the Dolphins proved too strong for the Rabbitohs after snapping a brilliant five-game winning streak for Ben Hornby's side. Fuller was outstanding again for the Dolphins at fullback in the absence of Maroons Origin star Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, scoring one try, saving at least one other and running for a whopping 253 metres.

The Rabbitohs on the other hand were left to rue their poor goalkicking after the match finished at six tries apiece, despite the 36-28 scoreline. First-choice kicker Latrell Mitchell was sorely missed on Thursday night as Cody Walker and then Taane Milne combined to miss four out of six conversions for the Bunnies - several of which were very kickable.

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Walker had four try assists in a sparkling display but lamented his inaccurate goal-kicking, even if Hornby said it's not the reason they lost. "You probably underestimate the importance of goal-kicking and I have a new found respect for all the goal kickers in the NRL," Walker said after the game.

"It is a tough ask especially at Kayo (Stadium) where the crowd is so close. Obviously Trell is a wonderful kicker and slots them from everywhere so you are going to miss a guy like Trell's goal kicking ability. I put my hand up. I take full responsibility, It just wasn't good enough."