Myles denies gouge bid

NATE Myles yesterday vehemently denied he eye-gouged Jarryd Hayne – then stressed the need for State of Origin to remain the one arena in rugby league where players could get away with more on the field.

Myles sparked outrage on social media when he appeared to use his right fingers in Hayne’s eyes as he attempted to play the ball midway through the first half on Wednesday night.

The incident was not picked up by the match review committee and Myles only became aware of the backlash when told by the media at Brisbane airport yesterday.

Hayne did not want the matter taken further and said after the match: “It’s Origin. Those things happen.

“You do whatever you can get away with and he got away with that one.’’

“’Haynesy’ had a bit of snot on his nose. I didn’t want him to be photographed with it,’’ Myles quipped, before he added: “My fingers were nowhere near his eyes.’’

Myles was on the end of a chicken-wing tackle by Boyd Cordner and confirmed he would undergo scans on his left elbow as a precaution.

The tackle caused similar uproar north of the border, but the match review committee also deemed it did not warrant a charge as Myles was clinging to Cordner’s jersey.

Myles said it was important players were not punished for pushing the boundaries when it came to Origin.

“What separates Origin from NRL is the arena, the calibre of players, the brutality,’’ Myles said.

“People are there for different reasons, be it their skill level, toughness.

“If we start treating it as a normal NRL round, it will lose its aura.

“I’m the first one to always say in Origin, ‘what happens on the field stays on the field’.”