Johnathan Thurston has opened up on his sideline stoush with Sydney Roosters prop Spencer Leniu, with the rugby league great saying he was ‘shocked’ by the confrontation.
The Roosters forward gave Thurston a serve as he came off the field in the second half of the Tricolours’ 26-16 win over the Broncos on Friday.
According to the Courier-Mail, Leniu called Thurston a ‘f–kwit’ after coming from the field late in the match, with the Sydney Morning Herald adding that he referred to the NRL icon as a ‘f–king c–t’ when the pair clashed again post-match in the grandstand tunnel to the dressing rooms.
Working for Channel Nine on the sideline, Thurston approached Leniu after full-time to clarify why the front-rower had a problem.
Thurston told colleagues that Leniu then expressed his displeasure at comments the 2015 premiership winner had made in the wake of last year’s racial slur of Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam in Las Vegas.
Leniu called Mam a “monkey” and was subsequently suspended for eight weeks by the NRL. Thurston is a proud Indigenous role model and has stood up for those who have been racially vilified in the past.
He was scheduled to conduct post-match interviews in the Sydney Roosters sheds, but his colleague Cameron Smith did so instead.
However, he was seen lodging a complaint with Roosters coach Trent Robinson following the match.
Speaking to Nine in a statement, Thurston stood by his criticism of Leniu.
“As Spencer left the field during last night’s match he made an abusive comment to me, which took me and those around me by surprise,” he said.
“The comment was not of a racial nature but was overly aggressive in tone and unwarranted. After the match I approached Spencer on the field to seek clarity on what he said and why he had said it.
“Spencer was again overly aggressive and it became clear that he had interpreted the comments I made 12 months ago as a personal attack on him which was not the case.
“A further conversation took place later with Roosters officials and Spencer outside the sheds. I remain available if Spencer or the Roosters would like to discuss this matter privately.”
In a post on Instagram, Leniu wrote that it was Thurston who initiated the run-in, accusing the NRL legend of being ‘two-faced’ and describing Courier-Mail journalist Peter Badel, who broke the story, as a ‘donkey’.
“I NEVER WANTED TO TALK TO JT. HE KEPT TRYING TO SPEAK TO ME!” Leniu wrote.
“I said ‘Lad idc [I don’t care] that 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[d].
“Hate me lad I’m eetswa [sweet] with that. But don’t be fake. I hate fake people.”
Robinson chose to defend his prop when asked about the Leniu-Thurston incident after the match.
“It is just two passionate guys having a conversation about differences of opinion,” he said. “Someone speaking their opinion, I think, is good in this game.”
When asked whether the Las Vegas incident was playing on Leniu’s mind Robinson said: “Not that I know of.
“People are always going to have differences of opinion and you can voice that.
“It is OK to say ‘I don’t agree with you’ both ends. No harm done … so long as people don’t cross the line or say the wrong thing.”
Spencer Leniu in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Robinson disputed that Leniu had crossed the line.
“From what I saw there was no crossing the line,” he said. “Spencer didn’t approach anybody so I don’t know why you are putting it on Spencer here. I think it is a discussion between two men. I don’t think that is the end of the world.
“Just cool your jets when it comes to accusations around somebody. The way you guys are questioning there, you have already formed an opinion.
“Two guys having a conversation, it might get heated, but nothing wrong was said as far as I know. It was an incident and that’s OK for guys to have that conversation.”
When Leniu was banned for eight games last year, Thurston said the NRL had failed the Indigenous community with what he described as lenient punishment.
“I was looking at, probably 12 weeks would have been sufficient for racial vilification on the field,” Thurston said at the time.
“I understand that he’s [Leniu] owned up to what he has said, but the NRL, we have the Indigenous All Stars match, we have the Indigenous round, they have an NRL Indigenous strategy team, so we’re saying and doing all the right things but I definitely don’t think that the crime has fit the punishment.”
with AAP
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