Rabbitohs rookie Jye Gray has a golden opportunity to make the No.1 jersey his own.
And it comes amid a revelation that there was always plan for Latrell Mitchell to move to centre to make way for Gray.
There’s been a lot of hype around Gray due to his red-hot start to the season in New South Wales Cup, where he scored three tries and set up three in four appearances and averaged 164 running metres per game.
With Mitchell sidelined through suspension, Gray made his NRL debut last weekend at fullback and now, as coach Jason Demetriou told The Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday, is “a chance to keep the jersey.”
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Gray announced himself to the NRL with an impressive performance in the Rabbitohs’ 34-22 loss to the Sharks, finishing with 148 running metres, six tackle busts and seven tackles — no misses — despite spending time off the field for a HIA.
That performance has him in the box seat to keep the jersey going forward — even when Mitchell returns in Round 10.
“It’s Jye’s spot at the moment, and if he keeps playing well, he’s every chance to keep it,” Demetriou said.
“You never know in rugby league. Who is available in another two weeks’ time might be different to who is available now.
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“I just want him to focus on each week. He’ll get a good prep going down to Melbourne (in Round 8), which will help.
“He’s obviously got speed, and he’s a real threat who can make a lot of metres for a little bloke. He would have finished with over 200m the other night had he stayed on the field.
“There’s more to come from him, and once he gets settled in, and we get more quality ball to him, he’ll be even better again.
“We said before the game he had earned the right to be here, and he should go out and enjoy it. One game was not going to define him. It’s just the start.”
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It comes amid News Corp’s Dave Riccio revealing Gray was always going to be given the chance to play fullback last weekend — which would’ve seen Mitchell shifted to centre had he not been suspended.
“I understand that Jye was going to be the fullback anyway in this Cronulla game even if Latrell was available,” Riccio told NRL 360.
“That was my understanding that Latrell would’ve played in the centres against the Sharks if he wasn’t suspended.
“There’s a belief internally that the change has to come and I think Jye will hold the position — form pending.”
NRL 360 host Braith Anasta asked the panel whether the backing of Gray is also a way of sending Mitchell, who has been out of form to start the season, a strong message.
“It’s a kick up the backside,” Riccio said.
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Anasta agreed.
“That’s what I’m saying. It’s more of a ‘if you want to get back there and it’s where you really want to be, then you’ve got to earn it. You’ve got to show us… you’ve got to show that desire and put in every week,” he said.
Riccio added: “Just the way Latrell was playing, it’s not sending the best message to the rookies within the club that you can stay in the same position by just getting by. That’s why Jye has earned the position.”
Fellow News Corp journalist Brent Read, however, believes Mitchell “will end up back at fullback at some point,” because Jack Wighton already holds one centre position and Campbell Graham will return from a sternum injury later in the season.
But that logjam could force Demetriou to pull the trigger on a halves combination many have been calling for — Wighton at five-eight and Cody Walker at halfback.
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