Souths’ Gray
Jye Gray has heard every cheeky gag about his height.
Even the one that his Rabbitohs teammates recently came up with when – before they flew out to the US last January – they suggested the club save a few bucks by purchasing a child’s plane ticket for Gray.
Or this one last Tuesday from Rabbitohs teammate Jack Wighton: “We still mock him about just finishing kindy, and now he’s debuting.’’
But it’s Gray who is having the last laugh.
The South Sydney fullback will enter the record books against Cronulla on Saturday night when he becomes one of the smallest fullbacks to make an NRL first grade debut.
Gray, standing at 168cm, according to Fox Sports Stats, is shorter than fellow diminutive fullbacks, including Matt Bowen (172cm) Matt Seers, (175cm) Ben Barba (177cm) and Reece Walsh (177cm).
To put the 20-year-old’s size into perspective, Gray is shorter than Group 1 winning jockey Hugh Bowman (170cm).
Only 1cm shorter than Gray, former Sharks, Panthers and Titans fullback Preston Campbell (167cm), is all the example the Bunnies dynamo needs for inspiration.
“He plays with his heart on his sleeve. He uses his speed well, and hopefully we see it Saturday,’’ Wighton said.
Gray has been sold as a “hail
Mary” play by besieged Souths coach Jason Demetriou.
The reality is, Demetriou was always going to debut the rising star, it was just a matter of when.
The embattled coach views Gray, hooker Peter Mamouzelos, Davvy Moale, Tallis Duncan and Isaiah Tass as the future of the club.
Such is the hope for Gray, he has the chance on Saturday night to perform, and ultimately push Latrell Mitchell from fullback to the centres.
Before joining South Sydney in 2023, Gray attended The Southport School on Queensland’s Gold Coast and won every honour on offer.
He played three years in the first XV and led the school to a GPS title.