South Sydney’s Jye Grey Young fails to douse rebel league reports

Young gun Jye Gray has left the door ajar to leave South Sydney for a rival league when his contract expires at the end of next year.

Gray was reportedly given a $US600,000 ($A922,000) contract to join rugby union’s global start-up R360 competition, which is set to begin in 2027 and serve as a rival to the NRL.

If the 28-cap Rabbitohs fullback was to join, he might play alongside stars including Ryan Papenhuyzen, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Zac Lomax who are all in negotiations to join the breakaway league.

“My manager is looking after everything outside of that, but I’m just excited to play Gold Coast this weekend,” Gray said on Thursday.

“I played rugby only a little bit in school, but that’s about it.”

His coach Wayne Bennett is worried about the rebel competition.

It’s a huge threat, absolutely,” Bennett told Code Sports. “The NRL is the toughest competition in the world with the best athletes. We cannot ignore it.

“I don’t know how we combat it but I will say this - the game needs to come together sooner rather than later in terms of the CEOs and the game itself.

“They will be looking at the star players like (Nathan) Cleary, Latrell (Mitchell) or Reece Walsh, they are the ones that the fans pay their money to watch.

“If we lost just 10 or 12 players like them, it will leave a massive hole in our competition.

“Look at the golf. Who would have thought LIV would be a threat but it is. The amount of money they have paid, we will never be able to match them if they (R360) are serious about the amount of money they have to spend.

Broncos great Corey Parker agreed with Bennett.

“I’m at a point now if the R360 is taking off - and it’s my belief it’s going to - we have got our heads in the sand and we’re not doing enough,” he wrote on SEN.

Gray also spoke about Lewis Dodd’s signing saga after reports Bennett had reportedly told the Englishman he’s free to look elsewhere for next season aired on Tuesday.

The $2 million signing insists his future remained at Souths, telling reporters Bennett had been playing “games.”

But, Gray told reporters Dodd deserves to stay in Australia regardless of his future with Souths.

“I think he’s a great footballer, and he’s an even better bloke off the field,” Gray said.

“He will have a future in rugby league. And, whatever he has to do is up to him.

“He will get a crack somewhere.”

Jacob Host has his own contract issues to deal with at Redfern.

The second-rower’s contract expires at the end of 2025 and has confirmed he’s talking to other clubs.

However, he was more focused on South Sydney’s match against the Titans which has been coined the “Spoon Bowl”.

A win would lift the Rabbitohs off the foot of the ladder and jump their opponents.

Host said ahead of Sunday, Bennett had banned the words wooden spoon in the locker room.

“It’s a word we are not allowed to say,” Host said.

“He just avoids it at all costs. We’ve had a lot of injuries this year.

“We’re just trying to go out there, keep the gloves up and keep fighting every week.”

Latrell Mitchell, meantime, got through two thirds of Thursday’s training session after he was named on the extended bench.

Cameron Murray and Campbell Graham were also seen running, with Host confirming they are “only a few weeks away”.