The Wests Tigers' shock 28-14 win over the Bulldogs on Sunday has been overshadowed by a controversial on-field celebration, with several Tigers players accused of making an offensive gesture towards stunned Canterbury fans.
In a heated grudge match at CommBank Stadium, the Tigers pulled off a shock 28-14 win over a Bulldogs side that had previously gone 12 from 12 against bottom-nine teams this season.
While media attention leading up to the match focused on Lachlan Galvin’s return against his former club, it was a controversial late-game try celebration that lit up social media and sparked widespread backlash.
With just 10 minutes left and the game sealed, Tigers stars Samuela Fainu, Latu Fainu, and Brent Naden were seen taunting the Bulldogs faithful after a decisive try, using a hand gesture known as the “Khod”.
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What might appear as a harmless gesture is, in Arabic cultures, known as the “Khod gesture” — a crude sign widely understood to mean “f*** you.”
NRL social media personality Jean-Claude Bitar, who has popularised the gesture online, took to his TikTok account to rave about the Tigers’ use of the hand gesture, even calling it the “greatest try celebration.”
“This is the greatest try celebration and it’s not even try July, it is wet August … Keep giving them the ‘Khod’, up the f***ing Tigers, mate,” Bitar said.
The reaction in the comment section of Bitar’s video revealed the anger and disappointment felt by many.
“That was disappointing what the Tigers did to the fans disgusting behaviour", one person commented.
Adding fuel to the fire, Naden doubled down after the match by sharing a now-deleted video in which he repeated the gesture on his way home following Sunday night’s win, saying, “Khod, f***ing Dogs.”
The Bulldogs, who have a significant Arab supporter base, have since reported the incident to the NRL integrity unit following numerous complaints about the players’ conduct.