Spencer Leniu’s Ezra Mam slur a reaction to alleged derogatory sledge from Broncos player
The Las Vegas racism firestorm has taken another ugly turn, with the blowtorch turning on the Broncos - who have been accused of sparking the Ezra Mam racial slur saga with a derogatory remark of their own.
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A Broncos player is alleged to have made a derogatory remark to Roosters prop Spencer Leniu that led to his racial slur at Ezra Mam.
Leniu chose not to go public with details of what was said that triggered his brain explosion.
The ex-Panthers star stands by his apology and even offered to jump on a plane to Brisbane on Wednesday to say sorry to Mam face-to-face.
Maybe it will come up at his judiciary hearing on Monday night, but one of his closest associates told me: “He was brought up in Mount Druitt where you don’t snitch.”
The incident has caused widespread fallouts across the game.
First, Wayne Bennett labelled those critical of what happened as “drama queens”.
What a pathetic comment.
Even Anthony Mundine chimed in, telling Mam to “toughen up”.
That’s poor form, Choc.
We don’t imagine these comments will sit well with proud Indigenous men like Latrell Mitchell and Nicho Hynes, who have been so vocal in their disapproval of Leniu’s behaviour.
Especially for Mitchell who regarded Bennett as a father-like figure in their time at Souths.
TIGERS SPONSOR WALKS OUT ON CLUB
One of the Wests Tigers’ major sponsors has quit after a blazing row with CEO Shane Richardson.
FAB Industrial Logistics managing director Neil Fabry confirmed his company will no longer be the Tigers’ $800,000-a-year back-of-jersey and sleeve sponsor.
He informed the club via an email and phone call on Friday, saying he felt “disrespected”.
“It’s been a tough couple of years for the club but I put in more money last year — my family’s money — when the club was struggling,” Fabry said.
“Then I sat down with Shane Richardson and I was told that they wanted to put one of my competitors (Allied Express) on the jersey as well.
“He said to me, ‘If you love the club, you’ll let it happen’.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to be treated this way.”
Fabry said he felt disrespected after his rock-solid support in two wooden-spoon seasons, but now had to defend an exclusivity clause in the sponsorship agreement.
“It was so disrespectful,” he said.
“I have a contract that says I’m exclusive in my area of business. I told him, ‘There’s not a chance you can use a rival. If you put them on, take me off, and stick it up your a--e. I’m not going to be part of it and I’m not going to be dictated to’.
“None of this happened when Justin Pascoe was here.
“I still love the club but I don’t like the people in charge.”
On Friday we went to Richardson to get his side of the story.
“We did ask him about putting another sponsor on the strip but he said it was a conflict,” Richardson said. “So we told him we wouldn’t do it. He knows that.”
Fabry runs the $120 million family-owned company out of Minto, and last year won Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year in manufacturing, wholesale and distribution.
His company is an import and export distribution specialist, similar to Allied Express.
It is a huge blow for the Tigers in light of doubts around the future of major sponsor Bryden’s Lawyers and their principal, former club chairman Lee Hagipantelis.
Richardson’s been a controversial appointment as interim CEO as part of a management overhaul at the club.
The Sunday Tele recently revealed how he was a shareholder in a player management company and had been openly carrying out negotiations with clubs.
SAINT
Sellout crowds, upset results and record television ratings on the back of momentum gained from the Las Vegas season-opener extravaganza. Rugby league is flying.
SINNERS
The bitter fallout from the Spencer Leniu – Ezra Mam racism row. Wayne Bennett labelling the likes of proud Indigenous men Nicho Hynes and Latrell Mitchell as drama queens for expressing their opinions. Anthony Mundine, of all people, telling Ezra Mam to toughen up. Seriously, this is getting out of hand.
SHOOSH
Which highly paid Storm star is off-side with Melbourne powerbrokers to such an extent that coach Craig Bellamy would probably not stand in his way if he were to look for an opportunity elsewhere.
SPOTTED
You know a footy club is struggling when merchandise is reduced for a clearance sale just two weeks into a season. This sign is on the door at the Waratahs’ supporter store at Allianz Stadium. It sums up the state of rugby in this country.
SPOTTED II
The great old journalist Geoff Prenter has made a radio comeback at 83. Prenter was the founding editor of Rugby League Week and started in radio way back in 1965 on 2GB. He is now at 2ST in the southern highlands, talking all things rugby league in twice-a-week segments.
SPOTTED III
Former TV executive and boxing hall-of-fame promoter Lou DiBella had his first look at rugby league in Las Vegas. “I friggin love NRL rugby,” he tweeted, “fast, exciting, physical, and easy to understand”.
SPOTTED IV
Fatty Vautin said his Las Vegas highlight was catching up with old Kangaroos teammate and independent commissioner Wayne Pearce for the first time in years. “Junior’s the best fella you’ll ever meet,” Fatty said, “I had so much respect for him as a player, as an opponent and then as a teammate playing for Australia.”
MARY v NATH
Fresh from Taylor Swift belting out Love Story in front of four sellout crowds at Accor Stadium, Australian sport’s greatest romance will face off at the same venue in June.
Lovebirds Mary Fowler and Nathan Cleary are headed for a ticket-sales box-office showdown with the Matildas and NSW State of Origin team going head-to-head.
The Matildas play China on June 3 at Accor Stadium, just 48 hours before Cleary runs on to the same playing surface with the NSW Blues in the opening Origin game.
It will be a tough battle for the NRL with the more expensive ticket prices to capture as much media attention in Origin week as normally would against Australia’s favourite sporting team.
The Matildas are aiming for a 13th consecutive sellout on home soil and doing that at Accor Stadium would reaffirm that they are our No.1 national sporting team.
A crowd of 75,784 and a 7.3 million TV audience watched the Matildas in their last appearance at Accor in the World Cup.
The NSW Blues had a crowd of 75,342 and a TV audience of 2.53 million when they won a game-three dead rubber against the Maroons last year.
This time, both matches are likely to crack the 80,000 mark with no seats held like last time for FIFA freeloaders, many of whom didn’t bother turning up.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo says it’s a massive time for local sporting fans with the women’s State of Origin in the same week, in Newcastle on Thursday night.
“Having three massive matches on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday night is something special for fans,” Abdo said.
“The strength and popularity of the Matildas is terrific for Australian sport.
“The week will showcase some of the best elite male and female athletes in the world.”
EELS’ BOOTS RUN FOR NRLW OUTFIT
Parramatta Eels celebrated International Women’s Day with a special initiative for young female league players.
As the club gears up for the new season, a wave of young girls have joined junior league for the first time and the Eels prepared surprise gifts for a selection of the newcomers — brand new football boots.
Eels staff and members of their NRLW team personally delivered the boots across the Eels’ western Sydney catchments – a great gesture from the club.
TRISH UNLIKELY JOHNS TO SLIP UP
The Johns family just can’t avoid drama. Normally, it’s Matty or mad son Cooper.
Last week, we told you how Matty’s wife Trish was heading to Las Vegas to keep an eye on the Fox Sports star.
As it turns out, Trish was the one who needed looking after.
Completely sober, she slipped over on the main strip of Vegas.
“She’s done ankle ligaments and there’s a small break,” Matty said. “The worst part was she’d only had a couple of drinks.
“We were walking out after watching Timmy Trumpet play and she’s just tripped over.”
The injury didn’t stop Trish from attending the games, although she needed to hire an electric scooter to get in and around Allegiant Stadium.
“I sat down at the Fox desk to start the broadcast, I look up and there she is, 30m away, sitting behind the posts in a corporate suite with her leg up, the scooter by her side, and having a drink,” Matty said. “She’d come such a long way and nothing was going to stop her going to the game.”
DOWN TO THE LINE CALL
Hawkeye representatives gave a presentation to NRL chief executives In Las Vegas on technology to rule on forward passes.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley said it was an impressive demonstration although there were no plans at this stage to introduce it to rugby league.
$4M MERCH MOTZA
What a difference 10 years and three NRL premierships make.
In 2013 the Penrith Panthers finished 10th on the ladder under Ivan Cleary. The club’s merchandise sales that year were $341,000.
They had no Origin or Test players.
Fast forward to 2023 and their premiership three-peat.
The Penrith annual report shows the Panthers made $4.065m from merchandise sales last year.
HARD CHAT HITS HOME
There was quite a kerfuffle in the official NRL hirer’s suite at Magic Round last year when Gold Coast Titans chairwoman Rebecca Frizelle clashed with RLPA boss Clint Newton.
Frizelle was fired up over the lack of attention from the RLPA for teenager Joseph Pouniu, the Titans youngster who was seriously injured in a trial game in January last year and is now a quadriplegic. Fast forward to Las Vegas and it was a far different story last weekend.
The pair had a long chat and are now on good terms.
“I like that Rebecca can have a hard conversation face-to-face,” Newton said.
As for Joseph, he has now joined the Titans football staff.
He is studying videos of junior rep games and helping out in recruitment.
SYDNEY LOSES NABLE
Sydney has lost one of its toughest characters to the hideous Motor Neurone Disease.
Aaron Nable, the brother of Fox Sports voiceover guru Matt Nable, was a former national amateur boxing champion, who trained under Johnny Lewis and regularly sparred with Kostya Tszyu.
Aaron’s battle with MND, after being diagnosed in 2022, was as brave as anything he did inside a boxing ring. And that’s saying something.
Lewis told me: “He was just a kid when he used to spar Kostya – and they didn’t come any tougher.
“And when the disease got him and we thought he had a couple of months left, he refused to give up. He was a fighter to the very end.”
Aaron leaves behind three children aged 11, five and three and his wife, Aline.
The family has raised more than $100,000 via a GoFundMe page for Aaron’s young family and MND Research.
A whole host of sporting and media types will attend Aaron’s funeral on Tuesday at St Mary’s church in Manly at 10.30am.
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