- NSW Blues enforcer Spencer Leniu plays with passion
- Caught on camera calling Maroons ‘f***ing pussies’
- Previous drama with Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston
- Also suspended for calling Broncos star Ezra Mam a ‘monkey’
Spencer Leniu was a despised figure in Queensland on Wednesday night following his recent war of words with Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston – and the prop couldn’t care less.
The NSW Blues enforcer, 24, was also caught on camera issuing Queensland players a savage two-word sledge after he entered the fray in the 30th minute at Suncorp Stadium.
Labelled a ‘grub’ by News Corp in the lead-up to the series opener following incidents with Thurston and previously Broncos star Ezra Mam in Las Vegas, Leniu was desperate to silence the locals.
He didn’t get his wish initially, with the Maroons instead kicking to debutant Max King.
Leniu wasn’t happy, and was seen mouthing ‘f***ing pussies’ before carting the ball up seconds later on the third tackle.
‘They deliberately kicked the other way,’ Fox League’s Matty Johns said on his Backstage podcast.
‘I reckon that’s a victory for Spencer.’
In April, a fiery confrontation between the Sydney Roosters forward Leniu and Channel 9 commentator Thurston was believed to have been sparked by comments the NRL legend made after Vegas last year.
Spencer Leniu was a despised figure in Queensland on Wednesday following his recent war of words with Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston (pictured, an Instagram post from the prop featuring the insult from News Corp)
Leniu had the last laugh, with the NSW Blues winning 18-6 to take a 1-0 lead in the Origin series (pictured, at fulltime)
Sydney Roosters firebrand Spencer Leniu confronts NRL legend Johnathan Thurston last month following an NRL game against the Broncos
In 2024, Broncos star Ezra Mam made a complaint that Leniu called him a ‘monkey’ on the field in Las Vegas – the Roosters enforcer was later banned for eight weeks by the NRL
Witnesses said Leniu called Thurston a ‘f***wit’ as he passed the sideline commentary team.
Thurston was reportedly stunned and sought to understand the reason behind the abuse.
According to sources, Thurston confronted Leniu after full-time in the tunnel, asking him: ‘What’s your problem?’
Leniu allegedly replied with another slur, calling the former Cowboys premiership-winning captain a ‘f***ing c***’.
It is believed the exchange stemmed from lingering tension over last year’s racism scandal involving Broncos star Mam.
Leniu was suspended by the NRL for eight weeks after referring to Mam as a ‘monkey’ during the NRL’s season opener in Sin City.
Speaking last year, Thurston said: ‘The NRL had a great opportunity to make a stand, not only for the game but for society as well.
‘I don’t think the eight weeks is sufficient for what has been said and for the mental scars that have been brought up.’
