Spencer Leniu doubles down on stunning Johnathan Thurston attack calling him ‘fake’ and ‘two-faced’
Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu has doubled down on his sensational attack on NRL legend Johnathan Thurston, with a scathing social media post aimed at setting the record straight.
Leniu has come under for fire for reportedly confronting Thurston twice during and after the Sydney Roosters win over the Brisbane Broncos in Sydney on Friday.
It is believed the Roosters forward remains angry at Thurston for his comments after Vegas last year when Leniu was suspended for racially villifying Ezra Mam.
Leniu’s anger is believed to stem from the fact Thurston remained mute when Mam was recently suspended for crashing his vehicle while under the influence of drugs in Brisbane.
It is believed Leniu challenged Thurston on why he didn’t go as hard on Mam.
Now the Origin forward has taken to social media to say he did not instigate the conversations with Thurston at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
Leniu posted to Instagram calling Thurston ‘twi-faced’ and ‘fake’ in another withering attack
It is believed Leniu is angry at Thurston for not treating Ezra Mam the same as he was treated
Mam was suspended after this car crash in Brisbane after it was revealed he was under the influence of drugs
‘I never wanted to talk to the JT,’ Leniu wrote. ‘He kept trying to come speak to me!
‘I said, ‘Lad idc (I don’t care) if you hate me for what I did. But don’t come up to me asking questions like we’re Algood (sic).
‘Don’t be two face (sic). Hate me lad I’m ‘eetswa’ (sweet) with that. But don’t be fake. I hate fake people.’
The fiery confrontation between Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu and Johnathan Thurston was believed to have been sparked by comments the NRL legend made after Vegas last year.
The incident occurred during and after the Roosters’ 26-16 win over the Brisbane Broncos. Leniu, known for his aggressive playing style, allegedly unleashed a verbal tirade at Thurston while leaving the field with 20 minutes left in the match.
Witnesses say the Roosters prop called Thurston a ‘f***wit’ as he passed the sideline commentary team.
The Channel Nine commentator 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 captain a ‘f***ing c***’.
Sydney Roosters firebrand Spencer Leniu confronts NRL legend Johnathan Thurston after the match against the Brisbane Broncos on Friday night
Leniu allegedly confronted Thurston twice, swearing at the former Cowboys star in incidents believed to have stemmed from comments made after Vegas last year
It’s believed the exchange stemmed from lingering tension over last year’s racism scandal involving Broncos star Ezra Mam. Leniu was suspended for eight weeks after referring to Mam as a ‘monkey’ during the NRL’s Las Vegas season opener.
It was the first time that Leniu had faced the Broncos since that incident.
Thurston, a proud Indigenous leader in the game, was outspoken in his criticism of the punishment handed to Leniu.
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.’
He added: ‘I don’t think the eight weeks is sufficient for what has been said and for the mental scars that have been brought up.’
On Friday, tensions appeared to boil over as Leniu reportedly expressed his frustration about those past comments directly to Thurston.
Broncos veteran Ben Hunt was seen attempting to de-escalate the situation. Roosters teammate Siua Wong also reportedly intervened to calm Leniu.
Channel Nine had initially promoted that Thurston would be conducting post-match interviews in the Roosters’ sheds. However, he was replaced by fellow commentator Cameron Smith following the incident.
It was the first time Leniu had faced the Brisbane Broncos since their fiery clash in Vegas
When the two sides met in the United States last year Broncos star Ezra Mam made a complaint to the referee that Leniu had racially villified him
Thurston declined to enter the sheds and waited almost an hour at the stadium to speak with Roosters coach Trent Robinson. He is understood to have raised concerns about Leniu’s conduct during the heated exchanges.
Robinson later confirmed the conversation but staunchly defended his player.
‘There’s a discussion there, but from what I saw there wasn’t any crossing the line there,’ he said.
‘I don’t know why – Spencer, he didn’t go and approach anybody. I don’t know why you’re trying to put it on Spence here.’
Robinson said he didn’t believe the Las Vegas incident was weighing on Leniu’s mind ahead of the Broncos clash.
‘No, not that I know of. It wasn’t mentioned at all,’ he said.
He praised Leniu’s performance on the night, saying he played ‘with intensity and control’.
Thurston has not commented publicly since the clash, but colleagues say he was clearly rattled by the events.
The NRL is yet to release an official statement regarding the incident. Footage of the altercation is believed to have been captured by Channel Nine cameras.
