Laurie Daley hits back after Queensland make ugly allegation about NSW player

Yahoo

27-05-2025

NSW coach Laurie Daley has hit back at Queensland and The Courier Mail's back page after Blues prop Spencer Leniu was called a 'grub' in the build-up to State of Origin Game 1. Leniu will no doubt prompt a fierce reaction at Suncorp on Wednesday when he runs on from the bench and takes one of his barnstorming runs.
Leniu's confrontation with Queensland legend Johnathan Thurston at a Roosters home game last month has been one of the biggest storylines heading into Game 1. Leniu was unhappy with Thurston and the duo were involved in a high-profile argument after the game, which was picked up by the Channel 9 broadcast.
The Roosters forward copped an eight-game suspension in 2024 after calling Broncos star Ezra Mam a 'monkey'. Thurston was highly critical of Leniu last year and said the eight-game suspension he received for the racial slur didn't go far enough. Leniu claimed he didn't realise the term "monkey" had racial connotations.
And Leniu tore into Channel 9's Thurston when the pair came face-to-face after a Roosters game. Thurston was clearly rattled by the confrontation but decided not to lodge an official complaint. Leniu was reportedly upset that Thurston has not been nearly as vocal about Mam crashing his car last year in an incident that injured a child and saw him cop a nine-game ban.
And to spark the tension ahead of Origin, The Courier Mail back page read: 'Smash this Blues grub'. A photo of Leniu and Thurston accompanied the headline.
With many fans questioning the rather timid build-up to Game 1 this year the publication certainly moved to build-up the hype. However, when the pack page was shown to NSW coach Daley before the captain's run he was less than impressed with reports the Blues side are also unhappy with the commentary piece.
"Grub's a heavy word ... he's a good person," Daley said. "He'll be OK. He's got a plan, everyone's got his back and I don't think the crowd's going to jump in and do anything. He embraces those types of challenges well. You want him to play with that controlled aggression."
After the high-profile spat last month, Leniu and Thurston will once again be in close quarters come Wednesday. Thurston will be part of Billy Slater's coaching staff once again, and will likely be on the sideline with the headset like we've seen in recent years. And Leniu's participation will be sure to get the crowd going with the prop set to be public enemy No.1.
While there has been some questions over whether the build-up has been overshadowed by some of the Lachlan Galvin and Bulldogs drama, Daley doesn't feel the showpiece event needs more hype. Daley won his sole series as coach came in 2014 and felt he wanted to avoid the pre-game commentary this time around.
"That's part of Origin, you've just got to roll with the punches, not be put off at all," he said of all the drama heading into Game 1. "No matter what happens, our preparation's been spot on. There's always a challenge around Origin time. It doesn't take away our focus."
The NSW coach is facing the prospect of losing Stephen Crichton on game day with the star centre dealing with a corked thigh he suffered during an opposed session. However, Payne Haas is set to line-up on game day after dealing with a quad issue all week.
"Payne (Haas) will play (and) Critta, see how he is tomorrow," Daley said. "He didn't have scans. It's a cork, no strain or anything like that. Just trying to control the swelling and see how he is tomorrow morning."