Spencer Leniu and his Brisbane rivals had a verbal confrontation in the corridors of their Las Vegas hotel only hours after Ezra Mam accused the prop of calling him a “monkey”, an allegation three-time premiership-winning coach Ivan Cleary said was “out of character”.
The Roosters prop was referred straight to the NRL judiciary on Monday (AEDT) for allegedly using the racial slur against the Broncos’ grand final star during rugby league’s historic season opening in the United States.
But the fallout between powerhouse clubs the Roosters and Broncos wasn’t confined to the field, with players crossing paths in their Resorts World hotel after the match.
Leniu and Brisbane centre Kotoni Staggs exchanged words at the hotel before Mam’s teammate Pat Carrigan also expressed disappointment with the Roosters recruit. Leniu was dragged away by his club’s media manager to avoid the situation escalating.
Both the Roosters and Broncos confirmed to this masthead that the hotel confrontation occurred, but insist it was only verbal and not physical.
Leniu’s former Penrith coach Ivan Cleary, while not privy to the details of the accusation levelled at the Samoan international, who was part of the Panthers’ last two grand final wins, said he found the allegation at odds with the person he knows.
Roosters prop Spencer Leniu.Credit: AP
“I am surprised [that he was accused of something like that],” Cleary said. “I would say it’s out of character. It’s going through the channels with the NRL now so everything is being investigated. We’ll see where it leads, but I would say it’s out of character.”
Leniu will face the judiciary at a date to be determined once the teams arrive back in Australia. All four of the Las Vegas combatants will have a week off to recover before preparing for round two.
Mam and at least two other Brisbane players have told Broncos officials they heard Leniu use the word “monkey” during the second half of the match, prompting a formal complaint from Mam to referee Adam Gee.
Mam, an Indigenous man whose family hails from the Torres Strait, was in tears after the match.
In an interview with Nine News immediately after the match and before the hotel incident, Leniu said: “Whatever he wants to do with it, he can come and see me after if he wants.
“I don’t know. It was all just fun and games on the field, a bit of banter. If they want to do anything, we’re staying in the same hotel, so I’m right there.”
NRL chief Andrew Abdo said the governing body had been in contact with Mam and Broncos chief executive Dave Donaghy.
“[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.”
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.
Rabbitohs superstars Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker have been among the players to voice support for Mam on social media since the incident marred the NRL’s first foray into Las Vegas.
Leniu was playing his first regular season match for his new club after a high-profile switch from the Panthers.
Brisbane superstar Reece Walsh ($3000), Manly’s Nathan Brown ($1800) and South Sydney’s Jai Arrow ($1000) will all avoid suspensions with early guilty pleas despite being charged for on-field offences during the Las Vegas matches.
Walsh was slapped with a grade-one shoulder charge for his try-saving effort on Roosters winger Daniel Tupou.
Meanwhile, Cleary confirmed Jarome Luai is on track to play for the Panthers against the Storm on Friday night after off-season shoulder surgery.
The Tigers-bound playmaker skipped Penrith’s World Club Challenge loss against Wigan as he completed the final stages of his rehabilitation.
“He’s doing really well, so at this stage we expect him to play,” Cleary said.
“He’s a big part of our team, so I’m really excited about what him and Nat [Cleary] and the rest of the team can do together this year with another year’s growth and combinations, and with that little bit extra of it being his last year.”
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