By Michael Chammas, Danny Weidler and Dan Walsh
Brisbane players confronted Sydney Roosters forward Spencer Leniu in the corridors of the team hotel in Las Vegas just hours after Ezra Mam accused the prop of calling him a “monkey” during the game at Allegiant Stadium.
Leniu was referred straight to the judiciary by the NRL on Monday morning and charged with contrary conduct after Mam made a formal complaint against the Tricolours recruit, who he claimed racially abused him late in the Roosters’ 20-10 victory.
The NRL placed the Broncos and Roosters teams just metres apart in rooms on the same floor of the Hilton in Resorts World, with players crossing paths in the early hours of the morning after the game.
Leniu exchanged words with Broncos centre Kotoni Staggs about the incident before Mam and Pat Carrigan walked out of the team room.
Carrigan also exchanged words with Leniu, expressing his disappointment with what the Broncos believe was said to their five-eighth. Leniu was dragged away by the club’s media manager before it escalated.
Both the Roosters and Broncos confirmed to this masthead that the hotel confrontation occurred but insist it was only verbal and not physical.
The incident erupted on the field following accusations of a racial slur by the Roosters recruit against Mam. It marred the NRL’s historic season-opening double-header in Las Vegas.
Referee Adam Gee brought the match to a halt in the 69th minute, placing Leniu on report following a formal complaint from Mam.
“Ezra has made a formal complaint,” Gee said to the Roosters after a push-and-shove broke out. “It’s racial in nature against Spencer. I haven’t heard it. The incident goes on report and it will be dealt with after. That’s where it’s at.”
In audio from the match broadcast, Mam is heard telling referee Gee, “He called me a monkey.” Another Broncos player also says, “He called him a monkey.”
Gee then asks Mam if he wanted to make a formal complaint, to which Mam responds, “Yes I do.”
Roosters recruit Spencer Leniu.Credit: Getty
Leniu was asked briefly about the incident in a post-match interview with Triple M and said he was not worried about the complaint.
NRL chief Andrew Abdo confirmed the governing body had been in contact with Mam after reports he was in tears following the game because of the incident, but declined to comment on whether audio of the alleged exchange is available to the NRL.
Latrell Mitchell leaps to the support of Ezra Mam on Instagram.Credit: Instagram
“[The incident] will be handled with the appropriate urgency and importance that it deserves,” Abdo said on Nine’s Today Show.
“It’s obviously a serious matter … there’s no place in sport for these types of slurs. We pride ourselves on being inclusive. It’s unacceptable in this day and age. The process will unfold, we’re aware of the issue and it’s going to be dealt with.”
Leniu’s judiciary hearing date is yet to be determined given both clubs are still in the US. The Roosters have a lengthy turnaround to their round 2 clash with Manly on March 17, but a hearing is expected to be scheduled for later this week to bring the matter to a head.
Broncos players who claim to have heard Leniu’s alleged comment to Mam have indicated to the club that they are willing to provide evidence before the NRL judiciary panel.
There have been few instances of on-field racial incidents in the past decade, with Marcelo Montoya the most recent player charged for an on-field slur. The Warriors winger was banned for four games for a homophobic comment against North Queensland in 2022.
Mitch Barnett was found to have no case to answer two years earlier when he was accused of racially vilifying Tyrone Peachey, an allegation that Barnett denied.
Paul Gallen was stripped of the Cronulla captaincy and fined $10,000 for vilifying Dragons opponent Mickey Paea in 2009, issuing a public apology afterwards.
Rabbitohs superstar Latrell Mitchell took to Instagram to support Mam, calling for the NRL to act.
“I stand with you Bala @ezra.mam. @nrl better deal with this shit,” he posted in a story with Mam’s picture.
In his post-match media conference, Brisbane coach Kevin Walters said Mam was standing by his complaint, while skipper Adam Reynolds said he had not heard the comment Leniu is alleged to have made on the field.
“He’s pretty upset in there, but we’ll leave that in the hands of the NRL to police and adjudicate on,” Walters said. “We support Ezra and our player with everything around that. He’s adamant. We’ll leave it with the NRL. They’re looking at it.
“We don’t accept that in our club, certainly. It’s not our doing. We won’t take any more questions on it except we support Ezra in every way. We respect the NRL, and they’ll deal with it.”
Roosters coach Trent Robinson would not be drawn on the incident. “There’s no comment from me about it, I don’t know what happened,” he said. “Ezra is adamant, but that doesn’t mean it’s right. He made the complaint, it doesn’t mean it’s right. It will go through formal process as it should.”
The incident at least partly overshadowed a Sydney Roosters masterclass against the highly fancied Broncos on a night skipper James Tedesco gave notice that his best days aren’t behind him.
Together with new father and rugby-bound Joseph Manu, the Roosters’ two biggest attacking weapons sent a warning out to opponents who were starting to think the club’s premiership window had closed.
Joseph Manu celebrates a try for the Roosters.Credit: AP
The Broncos, still shaking off the heartache of a 17-minute grand final capitulation that cost them last year’s premiership, started the game looking like they had not recovered from that loss.
Mam gifted the Roosters the opening points of the game with a loose pass that was intercepted by Manu, who only joined his teammates in the United States five days out from the game after staying home for the birth of his child.
NRL pin-up boy Reece Walsh started the match looking like he had just walked off Las Vegas Boulevard wearing hot pink boots.
They lasted just five minutes, though, with Walsh switching for a white pair that you could only assume provided more grip on a surface the Broncos were unfamiliar with, given they weren’t allowed to do a captain’s run on Allegiant Stadium like the “home team” the Roosters.
Whatever advantage the Roosters had gained showed, producing a rust-free first half that left onlookers wondering if this would be the year they finally put it all together.
The Broncos were missing four players from last year’s grand final – Kurt Capewell, Tom Flegler, Herbie Farnworth and Keenan Palasia.
Trailing 8-0 and looking lost for ideas, Brisbane threw the ball to Walsh in the hope he might have the Midas touch.
The Broncos No.1 almost ran himself out of space on the narrow playing surface but, in typical Walsh fashion, produced something out of nothing with a deft grubber kick against the grain and through the legs of the Roosters defenders to send Deine Mariner over for their first try of the season.
The 8-4 lead the Roosters took into the sheds wasn’t a reflection of their dominance in the opening period of the match, regardless of the Sam Walker field goal on the stroke of half-time that was controversially taken away from them in response to the NRL’s crackdown on attacking players impeding defenders.
A converted try to Junior Pauga in the 53rd minute, courtesy of a miraculous flick pass from the rugby union-bound Manu, ticked the scoreboard over to a margin that resembled the Roosters’ superiority.
Walsh, again, had something to say about that when he combined with the Broncos outside backs to reduce the deficit to just four points with almost a quarter of the game remaining.
In the end the Roosters got what they deserved, with Tedesco fittingly putting the exclamation mark on an impressive outing.
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.