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Wests Tigers players abuses Bulldogs' fans

Wests Tigers players abuses Bulldogs' fans

Brent Naden used an offensive Arabic gesture known as a "khwad" on his Instagram account after the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs.
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‘That's no good': Bulldogs star wasn't aware of Khod gesture as the blue and whites prepare for brutal five weeks before finals
‘That's no good': Bulldogs star wasn't aware of Khod gesture as the blue and whites prepare for brutal five weeks before finals

News.com.au

timean hour ago

  • News.com.au

‘That's no good': Bulldogs star wasn't aware of Khod gesture as the blue and whites prepare for brutal five weeks before finals

Bulldogs forward Josh Curran says he was unaware of the Khod hand gesture that several Wests Tigers players allegedly flashed at Canterbury fans during Sunday's shock result at CommBank Stadium. Brent Naden and Samuela Fainu were some of the players involved in the heated moment 10 minutes from full-time when Fainu crashed over to put the result beyond doubt. The players made the gesture towards Bulldogs fans at that end of the field, with Canterbury officials lodging a complaint to the NRL who are investigating the incident and considering if any penalties are warranted. Fainu extends the Tigers lead! ðŸ'° Watch #NRLTigersBulldogs on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: âœ�ï¸� BLOG ðŸ'¢ MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) August 3, 2025 'What did they do? I haven't seen any social media,' Curran said. When the incident was explained to him at Bulldogs headquarters in Belmore, Curran backed the club's supporters and thanked them for supporting them during Sydney's wild weather last week. 'That's no good. All we have to do is go out there and win,' he said. 'Our fans are a big part of us and we love our fans. Our fans turn up no matter what. It was pouring down rain (on Sunday) and we still had fans out there.' Tigers fullback Jahream Bula refused to comment on his teammates' actions when asked on Tuesday. The loss bumped the Bulldogs out of the all-important top two ahead of a showdown with the fourth-placed Warriors who could fall to seventh if results don't go their way this week. It's a big game for the Bulldogs who were poor in the first half last week but have the chance to silence their critics who argue they haven't beaten many of the top teams. They produced a huge second-half comeback to win in Canberra earlier in the year but have already lost twice to the Broncos and were beaten by Penrith in the game of the season. They finish the regular season with games against the Roosters, Storm, Panthers and Sharks, which will tell them exactly how they're travelling going into the finals. 'I don't think we have to prove anything to anyone,' Curran said. 'I feel like over the last two years that we haven't proven anything to anyone, but we've proved to ourselves each week what we can do. 'The games that we've lost, we've looked into it and we just killed ourselves, so I don't think we have to prove anything to anyone.'

I know what a khawd can mean. Here's why the NRL is struggling to understand Tigers gesture
I know what a khawd can mean. Here's why the NRL is struggling to understand Tigers gesture

Sydney Morning Herald

timean hour ago

  • Sydney Morning Herald

I know what a khawd can mean. Here's why the NRL is struggling to understand Tigers gesture

And quite often, it is for fun. Like when you beat your brother 4-3 with a 90th-minute winner in a game of FIFA after he spent the whole match talking up how good he is. You give him a khawd. When Bulldogs fans gather for a photo and don't want to stand there posing awkwardly – as highlighted on social media over the past few days – they give the camera a khawd. When the Tigers wrap up a sweet victory over the Bulldogs with Lachlan Galvin at halfback after his messy mid-season walk-out, you definitely give a khawd. The Arab community has been bemused during the past 48 hours as the rugby league news cycle discovers a gesture that has now skyrocketed in popularity, despite some horrific pronunciations by my friends in the media. It's not 'quad'. It's not 'cord'. Or khouf, as our Mediterranean brother Braith Anasta pronounced it on NRL360 on Monday night, an attempt that sounded more like a Greek island than an Arabic sledge. The 'khhh' needs to sound like you're clearing your throat, finished off with an 'awd' that is said with the kind of passion the Tigers finally played with on Sunday. The Bulldogs complained to the NRL on behalf of some of their fans who took offence to the Tigers' gesture. But did those fans take offence to the gesture, or because they were on the receiving end of it? And what does the NRL do now? Punish players for a gesture that has connotations that are as difficult to understand as the word is to pronounce for the non-Arabic-speaking community? The NRL is concerned that by doing nothing it will create a rod for its back the next time a player goes down the more traditional route of flipping the bird at the crowd. They've previously handed out breaches to players for doing so, hitting Matt Lodge with a $5000 fine when he raised his middle finger to the Gold Coast Titans crowd while playing for the Warriors in 2021. Brent Naden would've become familiar with the khawd during his tenure at Belmore. He was one of three players, along with Samuela Fainu and Latu Fainu, to use the gesture towards to the crowd on Sunday. He followed it up after the game with a video of giving the khawd and saying 'f—ing dogs'. It was meant to be a private message, but ended up being shared on social media. Loading Naden will probably be fined by the NRL for doubling down. But Sunday's events should be seen as an illustration of the unmatched tribalism, rough edges and all, that sets rugby league apart from other competitions – like the potentially forthcoming Rugby 360. The Tigers have been bashed for more than a decade. I've pulled on the gloves and dispensed an uppercut or three. But Sunday afternoon was as good as it gets for their long-suffering fans, who were entitled to enjoy the moment. They beat the team whose coach rejected them. The team whose halfback walked out on them for. And did it in front of a rival supporter base who continues to take great pleasure in their misery. If ever a situation called for a khawd, Sunday was it. Play on.

I know what a khawd can mean. Here's why the NRL is struggling to understand Tigers gesture
I know what a khawd can mean. Here's why the NRL is struggling to understand Tigers gesture

The Age

timean hour ago

  • The Age

I know what a khawd can mean. Here's why the NRL is struggling to understand Tigers gesture

And quite often, it is for fun. Like when you beat your brother 4-3 with a 90th-minute winner in a game of FIFA after he spent the whole match talking up how good he is. You give him a khawd. When Bulldogs fans gather for a photo and don't want to stand there posing awkwardly – as highlighted on social media over the past few days – they give the camera a khawd. When the Tigers wrap up a sweet victory over the Bulldogs with Lachlan Galvin at halfback after his messy mid-season walk-out, you definitely give a khawd. The Arabic community has been bemused during the past 48 hours as the rugby league news cycle discovers a gesture that has now skyrocketed in popularity, despite some horrific pronunciations by my friends in the media. It's not 'quad'. It's not 'cord'. Or khouf, as our Mediterranean brother Braith Anasta pronounced it on NRL360 on Monday night, an attempt that sounded more like a Greek island than an Arabic sledge. The 'khhh' needs to sound like you're clearing your throat, finished off with an 'awd' that is said with the kind of passion the Tigers finally played with on Sunday. The Bulldogs complained to the NRL on behalf of some of their fans who took offence to the Tigers' gesture. But did those fans take offence to the gesture, or because they were on the receiving end of it? And what does the NRL do now? Punish players for a gesture that has connotations that are as difficult to understand as the word is to pronounce for the non-Arabic speaking community? The NRL is concerned that by doing nothing it will create a rod for its back the next time a player goes down the more traditional route of flipping the bird at the crowd. They've previously handed out breaches to players for doing so, hitting Matt Lodge with a $5000 fine when he raised his middle finger to the Gold Coast Titans crowd while playing for the Warriors in 2021. Brent Naden would've become familiar with the khawd during his tenure at Belmore. He was one of three players, along with Samuela Fainu and Latu Fainu, to use the gesture towards to the crowd on Sunday. He followed it up after the game with a video of giving the khawd and saying 'f—ing dogs'. It was meant to be a private message, but ended up being shared on social media. Loading Naden will probably be fined by the NRL for doubling down. But Sunday's events should be seen as an illustration of the unmatched tribalism, rough edges and all, that sets rugby league apart from other competitions – like the potentially forthcoming Rugby 360. The Tigers have been bashed for more than a decade. I've pulled on the gloves and dispensed an uppercut or three. But Sunday afternoon was as good as it gets for their long-suffering fans, who were entitled to enjoy the moment. They beat the team whose coach rejected them. The team whose halfback walked out on them for. And did it in front of a rival supporter base who continues to take great pleasure in their misery. If ever a situation called for a khawd, Sunday was it. Play on.

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