It was another rotten night for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in a season rapidly filling up with them, but Jye Gray's debut was a bright spot.

Veteran five-eighth Cody Walker tells Fox Sports the team tried to focus on putting in a big effort for the young kids getting their chances tonight.

Winger Ty Munro played his first game of the year, Peter Mamouzelos had his first start at hooker, and 20-year-old Gray played his first NRL game back in the number one jersey.

He ran for 165 metres, broke six tackles and, most importantly, made no errors.

The Runaway Bay junior has a huge support team in the stands, including young teammates and family, and he's greeted them all warmly and posing for photos on the biggest night of his career.

The rest of the team, including a dour-looking Jason Demtriou, is in the sheds, but Gray and a host of other players are out there signing autographs and soaking up the night.