Wests Tigers have had the last laugh at Lachlan Galvin, ambushing premiership hopefuls Canterbury for a 28-14 upset win in their first game against their former favourite son.
But eagle-eyed fans spotted an interesting moment at the end of the match that may ruffle the feathers of some Bulldogs fans.
With just 10 minutes left on the clock, Jarome Luai released Samuela Fainu with a very suspect forward pass. The 21-year-old second-row danced his way towards the try line, bouncing off several defenders before touching down for the side’s fourth and final score of the match.
Elated by their performance at stunning their high-flying Sydney rivals, Fainu’s Tigers team-mates rushed to celebrate with the try scorer, as they gloated in front of the Canterbury fans at the rain-soaked CommBank Stadium.
As they celebrated, Tigers’ players Brent Naden and Fainu appeared to troll the Bulldogs fans, with users on social media claiming that the pair had been seen making a symbol with their hands, known as ‘the Khod’.
The centre appeared to hold his hand up in the air while moving his middle finger downwards, an apparent taunt to the Doggies fans.
The West Tigers players appeared to taunt Canterbury Bulldogs fans, with Brent Naden (right) seen to perform a ‘Khod’ gesture
Fans claimed that the Tigers players had performed the move as a taunt to Bulldogs fans after Samuela Fainu’s late try
A fan took to Reddit to post a video of the celebrations, captioning the clip: ‘Naden giving the Dogs the Khod’.
The phrase ‘Khod’ has several meanings. In Arabic, its literal translation is ‘take’ but the symbol can also be used as an insult in some cultures too.
When used as an affront, some interpret the word and gesture’s usage as being akin to giving someone the ‘middle finger’ or ‘flipping the bird’, with some using the gesture along with the phrase ‘khod’ to say ‘take this’.
The gesture is also an insult among some from Lebanese communities, with one social media user writing on X: ‘What Naden did is the Lebanese version of the middle finger.’
Their celebrations will add further insult to the Doggies. Following the loss to the 14th-placed Tigers, Cameron Ciraldo’s side have blown a golden opportunity to move atop the ladder as they hunt a first premiership since 2004.
Despite the moment, all eyes were on the Bulldogs’ mid-season signing Galvin before kick-off in Parramatta on Sunday but it was his rival halfback Adam Doueihi who stole the show.
Benji Marshall’s decision to shift Doueihi from lock to No.7 proved a masterstroke as the off-contract utility scored one try and was pivotal to another two on the way to a game-defining 20-0 lead.
Galvin was busy, booed by jilted Tigers fans with every touch, but couldn’t assert himself on the contest as Canterbury struggled for rhythm in the slippery conditions.
The Tigers faithful rejoiced when Jarome Luai drove a high fend into Galvin’s face as he ran the ball in the first half and then stood over the 20-year-old to taunt him after the tackle.
Fainu (right) was also seen performing the gesture, as the Tigers wildly celebrated the try
Fainu (centre) crashed over in the dying embers of the match to help the Tigers seal a 28-14 victory against the Bulldogs in Parramatta
All eyes were on Tigers defector Lachlan Galvin (left) after he jumped ship to join the Doggies mid-way through the season (pictured with Jarome Luai, right)
It was a showing of the Tigers’ intent not to be bullied by the highly-fancied Bulldogs, who at one stage made errors in three consecutive sets coming out of their own end in the first half.
Superstar captain Stephen Crichton sent Jacob Preston and Jacob Kiraz over for tries either side of the break to pull the Dogs back into the fight.
But Canterbury will rue not scoring while the tiring Tigers lost Alex Seyfarth to the sin bin for a high shot on Harry Hayes.
It came just after firebrand Seyfarth was penalised for throwing the ball at Max King in frustration during the second half.
Crichton was lucky not to have joined Seyfarth in the bin for an ugly high tackle on Taylan May that left his former Penrith teammate unable to finish the game.
Doueihi, already the Tigers’ form player, replaced Latu Fainu as starting halfback and helped put Jeral Skelton over for first points bouncing away from three defenders and offloading.
He belted from dummy-half through the Bulldogs’ scattered defensive line on a 90-metre tear that allowed returning fullback Jahream Bula to score the visitors’ second try.
After right winger Skelton had a second try from Api Koroisau’s boot, Doueihi scooped up a drop ball from Matt Burton and sprinted 85 metres for his own four-pointer and a 20-0 lead.
The Bulldogs threatened to chase the Tigers down in the second half with some dangerous attack down the right edge.
