‘S*** scared!’ Queensland Maroons’ soft Spencer Leniu act called out

Queensland’s soft underbelly was exposed in a single easy-to-miss move by the Maroons on Wednesday - and it infuriated NSW enforcer Spencer Leniu.

Rugby league greats have labelled Queensland “weak” as their soft underbelly was on full display when they decided to kick away from Spencer Leniu, the man they had targeted and declared public enemy No. 1, in the Origin series opener.

On Wednesday night, Leniu entered the field in the 30th minute to a chorus of boos and took his spot on the right side for NSW ready to take the first carry.

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However, inexplicably, Valentine Holmes and Queensland decided to go to the left side of NSW for the first time that night with their kick-off, depriving fans of the hit-up everyone craved.

On the field, Leniu was clearly angered by the Maroons’ decision and let his feelings be known with some choice words.

You can watch the NRL 360 panel debate the moment in the video above

And according to former NSW hardman Willie Mason it showed the Maroons are “sh** scared” of Leniu and the Blues.

“You’re sh** scared because of what he did to Max King the week before (in the NRL). That’s a win for us and a win for him. To him it’s like ‘You don’t even have the balls to kick it to me’,” Mason said on the Levels Podcast.

“They always try and make someone public enemy No. 1 and because JT is such a god up there they think they are going to get at him.

“But you can’t get under a bloke’s skin like that. I wanted that moment for Queensland and for Suncorp. You called him out, a call to arms if you will and then you kicked it the other way, yuck.”

Queensland's soft Spencer Leniu act has been called out. Image: Getty

It came after Brisbane newspaper The Courier Mail published a photo of Leniu on the back page accompanied by the headline: “Smash this Blues grub”.

That sledge stemmed from Leniu’s verbal spat with Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston at Suncorp Stadium last month, which followed Thurston’s comments on the Roosters’ eight-game ban after calling Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam a “monkey”.

So the move to not kick to him showed Queensland weren’t willing to back up the tough talk, and Kiwi great Shaun Johnson says it shows the Maroons are being both mentally and physically dominated by the Blues.

“This was a win mentally for Spencer and the Blues because the very first kick-off of the game they kicked it left. Mitch Barnett’s great carry, set the tone,” Johnson said on the Play on Sports show.

“But what do they do when Spencer comes on? They have a chance to go after the alpha in their own backyard, the public enemy No. 1, but with the chance to do it what do they do, they kicked away from him and they got him on TV talking about it too.

“This was a statement, this is when you knew the writing was on the wall and NSW had the upper hand.”

Braith Anasta (left) and Willie Mason (right) have torn into Queensland for their "weak" move. Image: Getty

However, Queensland legend Gorden Tallis defended the decision to kick away from him.

 “When there’s Morley, Webcke or Paul Harragon coming off the back fence, early you go ‘bang, let’s kick to them’ if it’s the start of the game ‘let’s see where he’s at’,” he said on NRL360 on Thursday night.

“But if he’s tearing through you, you go ‘let’s kick it to the other guy. Isn’t that smart?”

But Braith Anasta wasn’t having it, blasting the “weak” Maroons.

“You’ve got the opportunity to kick to him, try and bash the s**t out of him and set the tone and the example for your side to say ‘we’re going to get the better of him no matter what tonight’,” Anasta said on NRL360.

“It could change the momentum … I love the excuses, it was weak.”

While Leniu was on a media ban in the lead-up to the game, he showed no signs of keeping his mouth shut as he taunted the Maroons fans from the outset while warming up at Suncorp and waiting to come on.

Marching up and down the sideline nodding his head and chirping away, the boos and abuse from fans did nothing but spur him on.

And after the Maroons kicked away from him, you could tell from his facial expression he knew they couldn’t handle him.

That is what he conveyed to fans after the match as well as he gave it to every Queenslander he could find after full-time.

Originally published as ‘S*** scared!’ Queensland Maroons’ soft Spencer Leniu act called out