Origin eye-gouging complaint update following NRL investigation

The NRL match review committee has elected not to pursue charges against any Queensland players following an allegation from New South Wales (NSW) hooker Keeley Davis, who claimed she was eye-gouged during Thursday night’s Women’s State of Origin opener in Brisbane.

The alleged incident occurred during the first half of the Blues’ commanding 32-12 victory at Suncorp Stadium.

Following an on-field complaint from NSW captain Isabelle Kelly, referee Belinda Sharpe placed the matter on report.

The match review committee later analysed the footage from multiple angles in an effort to verify the claim.

However, sources indicate that no conclusive evidence of foul play could be found.

As per standard procedure, Davis was contacted by the NRL on Friday morning and asked if she wished to proceed with a formal complaint.

Based on the evidence, the 24-year-old declined to take the matter further, effectively ending any prospect of judiciary action.

Although no player was officially named during the match or in the subsequent review, it is understood that Queensland second-rower Romy Teitzel may have been the focus of the investigation.

Davis showed no physical signs of injury and was able to play on the rest of the match without incident but was adamant post-match that foul play came into it: “Any time you get eye gouged I think it’s a surprise,” she said.

“I’ve never felt anything like that before in the game. But I felt an eye gouge.”

In the post-match press conference, Blues skipper Isabelle Kelly insisted the incident had no impact on Keeley Davis’s focus – noting that the hooker had previously revealed she was bitten during the 2024 series – but chose not to lodge a complaint at the time.

“I said, ‘If anything happens this time, you make sure you tell me’,” Kelly said.

“She’s a professional, Keeley, she’s been great. I thought she was great tonight as well. I knew it wasn’t going to affect her.”

With no players facing suspension after the game, Queensland can name an unchanged squad to seek revenge in game two which will take place on May 15 at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

The women’s game is yet to produce any official charges of eye gouging as whole, however, the NRL has taken a hard line on such offences in the men’s competition, handing out lengthy suspensions in past cases involving Hudson Young and George Burgess.

Canberra forward Hudson Young received an eight-game suspension in 2019 after being found guilty of eye-gouging New Zealand Warriors fullback Adam Pompey.

While South Sydney prop George Burgess was handed two separate suspensions – totalling 13 weeks – for eye-gouging incidents involving Robbie Farah and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.