Midway through the first half of Thursday’s State of Origin opener, the New South Wales hooker Keeley Davis took back-to-back tackles and rose to her feet instinctively reaching for her eye.
Minutes later, with NSW still narrowly ahead, Davis and captain Isabelle Kelly approached referee Belinda Sharpe to officially report what Davis believed was an eye gouge by a Queensland player.
The incident, which occurred just before NSW’s second try at Suncorp Stadium, was put on report. The match review committee spent hours combing through different camera angles of the moment, trying to verify Davis’ claim. But when no clear footage could confirm an eye gouge, the NRL asked Davis the next morning whether she wished to pursue the matter.
She declined.
“I’ve never felt it in a game. I felt an eye gouge,” Davis told AAP after full-time. “It’s the Origin arena, things happen. There’s a difference when it’s incidental [rather] than on purpose.”
Support for Davis, but charges dropped
Though the 24-year-old didn’t name the player involved, her teammates and coaches stood firmly by her. “She wasn’t sure who, as a couple were in the tackle, so she told the ref, they put it on report,” NSW coach John Strange explained. Davis had been tackled first by Sienna Lofipo and then hit by Keilee Joseph and Romy Teitzel.
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Despite the incident, Davis continued playing and contributed significantly to the Blues’ 32–12 victory. Kelly, reflecting on her teammate’s resilience, said, “I think if you know Keeley, you know that’s not going to rattle her… She’s a professional Keels, she’s been great. I thought she was great tonight as well.”
With no charges laid and the complaint dropped, the focus now turns to Game Two at Allianz Stadium on 15 May, where NSW will look to seal the series on home soil.