'It's pathetic': Latrell and Spencer Leniu under fire over rule breach in NSW camp

Yahoo

19-05-2025

Leading NRL journalist David Riccio has slammed Latrell Mitchell and Spencer Leniu for boycotting the media and refusing to speak publicly in State of Origin camp with NSW. Mitchell hasn't spoken to the media for about nine months, with club team Souths keen for him to focus on footy and block out the outside noise.
It appears to be doing the trick, with Mitchell in good form for the Rabbitohs and earning his selection for the Blues. As for Leniu, the Roosters have also allowed him to shy away from the media in recent weeks after the situation with Johnathan Thurston. Leniu was spotted in a heated confrontation with Thurston on the field after a Roosters game last month, but hasn't fronted the media since.
With Mitchell and Leniu picked in the NSW squad for Game 1, the Rabbitohs and Roosters contacted NSW Rugby League to inform them of the players' desire not to do any media. NSWRL officials are said to be happy with the stance if it means Mitchell and Leniu can remain focused on the game and play their best, and have left it up to the NRL to enforce rules around media commitments.
The stance is actually a breach of NRL rules, and league officials have the power to step in and order they front the media. Under NRL rules, all players must be made available to talk to the media every three weeks, however it's rarely enforced and players dodge for months at a time.
The current stance goes against the mantra of previous NSW coach Brad Fittler, who insisted no player was given special treatment. Fittler felt that if players couldn't handle questions from the media, they wouldn't be able to deal with the rigours of State of Origin. Michael Maguire adopted that stance last year, but new coach Daley evidently hasn't.
Riccio tore the move to shreds on SEN radio on Tuesday morning, saying it robs fans of hearing from their favourite players and does nothing to help the promotion of the game. "What a narrow-minded view it is to think this is a good thing for the game," Riccio said.
"What's stopping the rest of the NSW team - Dylan Edwards, Nathan Cleary, Payne Haas etc - from deciding 'no I'm not doing media'. And they're within their rigts now because two players have done it. There's nothing stopping them."
Riccio revealed it was a similar situation before Game 3 of the women's State of Origin series, when only the captains and coaches of NSW and Queensland made themselves available to the media. "It doesn't work," Riccio said. "Last week with the women's State of Origin - both Queensland and NSW - it was pathetic. It was non-existent.
"Journalists were knocked back as far as opportunities were concerned, and guess how many people turned up (to the game)? In Sydney, where it is always a tough sell, only 15,000 people."
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Riccio said State of Origin won't survive unless it is advertised and promoted properly. "Don't count your chickens," he said. "This game thrives on exposure and promotion of it. Adidas - the major sponsor of the NSW Blues - pays hundreds of thousands of dollars so Latrell Mitchell can be standing on the back page of the paper in a Blues jersey. We have to be careful with the greatest product we have."
Leading commentator Andrew Voss said NSW coach Daley should step in and lay down the law to players about their media obligations. And Greg Alexander described the situation with the women's teams as "outrageous" and "bizarre".
When asked about Leniu's boycott on Monday, Roosters and NSW teammate Angus Crichton said: "He is just dialled in and ready to focus on helping us get the win. I didn't even notice he wasn't doing media and I think if that is what is going to get the best out of Spence on game day, then I am all for it.'
And Nathan Cleary said of Mitchell: "At the end of the day, all of us as NSW fans and players, we want Latrell to be at his best come Wednesday night. If that's what he needs to do, that's what he needs to do."
Discussing Mitchell's self-imposed ban on Triple M radio on Saturday, Nathan Hindmarsh also questioned what was stopping every other player from doing the same. And Wade Graham said players need to be aware they're speaking to the fans rather than the journalists themselves.