Davis drops women’s Origin eye-gouging complaint
Jasper Bruce |
The NRL match review committee have opted not to charge any Queensland players after NSW hooker Keeley Davis claimed she was eye-gouged during the women’s State of Origin opener.
AAP has been told the review committee pored over multiple angles of the incident alleged to have happened in the first half of NSW’s 32-12 win on Thursday night.
When conclusive video evidence of an eye gouge could not be found, Davis was contacted and asked whether she wanted to persist with the matter.
Davis had lodged an official complaint with the referee on-field and while she did not name the player she felt responsible, the 24-year-old was adamant after full-time she had been eye-gouged.
In the men’s game, eye gouges have sometimes resulted in a player being referred directly to the judiciary so both defender and ball-carrier can explain themselves.
Davis told the NRL while she felt an eye gouge, she was content for the matter to be dropped.
It means Queensland will be free to name an unchanged 17 for Origin II on May 15, provided Jasmine Peters can recover from her head knock in time.
That’s a potentially lucky break for Queensland, with NRL player Corey Waddell missing five games for an eye gouge in 2022 and Luke Thompson missing four in 2020.
Davis was able to play on after the incident she alleged occurred just before Isabelle Kelly scored NSW’s second try at Suncorp Stadium.
The hooker had first gestured to her eye following a hit from Maroons forwards Keilee Joseph and Romy Teitzel.
But the match review committee’s analysis cast doubt as to whether that had been the shot that caused the reaction from Davis, who was tackled by Sienna Lofipo on the play before.
At full-time, Davis insisted she had been eye-gouged.
“I’ve never felt it in a game. I felt an eye gouge,” she said.
“It’s the Origin arena, things happen. There’s a difference when it’s incidental than on purpose. I hope it doesn’t happen.”
The game had still been in the balance with NSW 10-6 ahead when Kelly and Davis approached Sharpe to lodge their complaint.
Kelly insisted the incident did not distract Davis, who claimed to NSW before game one that she had been bitten during the 2024 series but chose not to make a complaint.
“I said, ‘If anything happens this time, you make sure you tell me’,” Kelly said.
“She’s a professional Keeley, she’s been great. I thought she was great tonight as well. I knew it wasn’t going to affect her.”
AAP
