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

Sydney Morning Herald

19 hours ago

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.
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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.