Real classy from Brent Naden 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/vTUHQiO1ZU
— Winston Neville (@WinstonNeville4) August 3, 2025
The Tigers finally snag a win, and instead of celebrating one of their best performances of the year, all the talk is about a hand gesture.
Late in the match, after Samuela Fainu crossed for the try that sealed it, he celebrated with teammates Latu Fainu and Brent Naden by doing the “khod” gesture. It’s a Lebanese slang move that pretty much translates to “fuck you.” Naden then doubled down after the game by posting a video doing the same gesture while calling out “Dogs fans” before deleting the clip and locking his Instagram.
Now the Bulldogs have officially lodged a complaint with the NRL Integrity Unit, saying the gesture crossed a line. They’ve got a large Arab-Australian supporter base and felt the celebration was targeted and offensive. The league is now reviewing the footage and the social media posts, with a call expected soon.
The Tigers haven’t commented publicly and the players involved haven’t spoken out either. No one’s been charged or suspended at this stage. It’s still being looked at.
In terms of actual footy offences, it’s hardly the worst thing we’ve seen. No one got punched, no one got gouged, no one got head-hunted. But gestures like this, especially when they carry cultural weight, tend to blow up fast.
There’s probably a bit of frustration on both sides. The Bulldogs lose a tight game and feel like the opposition are mocking their fans. The Tigers, who’ve been copping it all year, finally get a win and suddenly they’re the ones in hot water.
One of their best wins of the season, and now this is what everyone’s talking about.
If anything comes of it, we’ll find out later in the week. For now, it’s just another strange chapter in a Tigers season that refuses to be boring.
