League legends have grilled Queensland over the weird choice to let Spencer Leniu off the hook throughout Wednesday evening’s State of Origin opener in Brisbane.
A newspaper headline on Tuesday urged the Maroons to “smash this Blues grub” however the staff itself basically rolled out the welcome mat for the fiery New South Wales prop.
Queensland media and followers needed the consultant gamers to reap revenge on Leniu after he verbally attacked league icon Johnathan Thurston throughout a recreation earlier this 12 months.
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As an alternative, when Leniu got here on the sector late within the first half, he was incensed that Queensland purposely kicked the ball away from him and once they did deal with him, there was little venom from the Maroons.
“We should always have kicked off on Spencer Leniu,” Corey Parker – who famously clashed with an upstart Blues rookie David Klemmer throughout a fiery Origin encounter in 2015 – instructed SEN radio.
Spencer Leniu costs into the Queensland defence. Getty
“If Jaydn Su’A and (Corey) Horsburgh have been within the staff and we mentioned to kick off on Leniu, they’d have been frothing, eyeballs rolling within the head.”
The Maroons have beforehand thrived on anger and chaos on the State of Origin area.
Earlier than the sequence opener, Vast World of Sports activities analysed how the pleasant build-up to the sport performed into NSW’s palms.
Watch the 2025 State of Origin sequence solely stay and free on 9 and 9Now.
Billy Slater refused to throw any verbal barbs throughout the Tweed and it appears his pleasant strategy leaked into the taking part in group.
Former long-time coach Mal Meninga was puzzled there appeared to be little aggro from the gamers on Wednesday.
“NSW dominated and there have been gamers on their facet that have been ready to cop it on the chin,” he instructed SEN.
“The Queensland staff wants to seek out some solutions. It isn’t due to personnel, it is the best way they play.”
Former Blues enforcer Willie Mason teed off on Queensland on his Ranges Podcast.
“You are shit scared due to what (Leniu) did to Max King the week earlier than,” Mason mentioned, referencing a fearsome Leniu run off the kick-off at membership degree in opposition to the Bulldogs.
“That is a win for us and a win for him. To him it is like, ‘You do not even have the balls to kick it to me’.
“They at all times try to make somebody public enemy No.1 and since (Thurston) is such a god up there they assume they will get at him. However you possibly can’t get below a bloke’s pores and skin like that.
“I needed that second for Queensland and for Suncorp. You referred to as him out, a name to arms if you’ll, and you then kicked it the opposite method… yuck.”
Intriguingly, legendary Queensland hardman Gorden Tallis defended the tactic to kick the ball away from Leniu, suggesting it was “sensible”.
Tino Fa’asuamaleaui of the Maroons is pulled away by NSW Blues gamers. Getty
Titans veteran Kieran Foran – who has by no means performed Origin however represented New Zealand loads of occasions on the world stage – believes it might have laid the foundations for a Maroons comeback.
“It might present a mentality from Queensland in the event that they did kick to him,” Foran mentioned.
“Watching the sport, watching how NSW simply went after (Lindsay) Collins, that actually set a tone, it was a press release.
“Queensland in all probability have gotten to look in there and ask why they did not do the identical factor, why did not they kick off to Spencer?
“It may well encourage a gaggle and raise each other. NSW did that higher than Queensland to be sincere.”
The Maroons have three weeks to ponder what went unsuitable as they try to degree the sequence in Perth on June 18.
