To have the last laugh
He played in the Queensland schoolboys rugby league team alongside Karl Oloapu and Keano Kini and won a national championship.
At the end of that tournament in 2022, where he played in the halves, he was snubbed for the Australian Schoolboys side and returned to TSS devastated.
“It was absolutely diabolical,” Southport High rugby director Adrian Blundell said.
“He came in with us (to prepare) for our upcoming season and he was broken.
“He was so upset he couldn’t understand it. But he was our captain and he was able to shake it off and bring the team up to a level when we won the premiership.”
Aside from winning, the other constant was claims that he was too small to cut it.
“The report we got every week was that he was too small,” Blundall said.
“That is what a lot of the NRL clubs were saying as well.
“They don’t see how hard he works. Even now, when he breaks from Souths, he’ll come up and train at the school and do extra fitness runs.
“Over Christmas he came and was using the school fields for fitness drills.
“One thing that I loved – and why I was never worried – was that even as a 14-year-old, it didn’t matter whether we were playing a warm up game of tunnel ball, whether you’re in a PE lesson and you’re playing touch, or you’re playing a GPS premiership game, he’s an outstanding competitor.
“He will not lose. He will do anything to win. He is an outand-out competitor.
“That’s why when everyone was saying, ‘I think he is too small’, I was saying, ‘He will do what it takes to win’.”
Gray’s long-time agent, former Queensland star Clinton Schifcofske, wasn’t inundated with offers and, while the national schoolboy selectors weren’t convinced, Souths liked what they saw.
They swooped on Gray after now-assistant coach Joe O’callaghan watched him play at the Schoolboys title. At the time, Gray was part of the Broncos elite development squad and wanted to keep him, but they didn’t stand in his way when Souths came calling.
“He was never going to be that kid who had 10 clubs chasing him,” Schifcofske said.
“There had to be that one club that gave him a shot and believed in him. Souths was that club.”
Demetriou was pivotal to Souths gaining his signature, pointing out he had worked with the likes of Jayden Nikorima in the past.
“He has got every short joke that has ever been invented,” Blundall said.
“He has heard it all before. He is up there with the most influential rugby players I have seen.
“We were down by a couple of tries against a team we should have been beating, he got them in a huddle and said: ‘Calm down boys, everyone breathe, just pass me the ball’ and he scored from the kickoff.
“He is a terrific young leader. He was voted in as a warden of the school, which is a keeper of traditions and culture of the school.
“He was our captain in 2022 when we won the premiership. I am pretty sure he won every rugby trophy and rugby league trophy there is.”
Wighton said that in Souths’ time in need, Gray’s arrival to the bright lights was never more timely.
“It’s an exciting opportunity for him, he’s been playing well, and he has an X factor in his game,’’ Wighton said.
“Some of these young boys will bring energy for us old boys in the team.’’