Parker, Meninga grill Maroons over blatant Leniu omit

League legends have grilled Queensland over the odd determination to let Spencer Leniu off the hook right through Wednesday night time’s State of Origin opener in Brisbane.

A newspaper headline on Tuesday suggested the Maroons to “smash this Blues grub” however the staff itself necessarily rolled out the welcome mat for the fiery New South Wales prop.

Queensland media and fanatics sought after the consultant gamers to harvest revenge on Leniu after he verbally attacked league icon Johnathan Thurston right through a sport previous this yr.

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Instead, when Leniu got here at the box past due within the first part, he used to be incensed that Queensland purposely kicked the ball clear of him and once they did take on him, there used to be little venom from the Maroons.

“We should have kicked off on Spencer Leniu,” Corey Parker – who famously clashed with an upstart Blues rookie David Klemmer right through a fiery Origin come upon in 2015 – informed SEN radio.

“If Jaydn Su’A and (Corey) Horsburgh were in the team and we said to kick off on Leniu, they would have been frothing, eyeballs rolling in the head.”

The Maroons have in the past thrived on anger and chaos at the State of Origin box.

Before the sequence opener, Wide World of Sports analysed how the pleasant build-up to the sport performed into NSW’s arms.

Watch the 2025 State of Origin sequence solely are living and unfastened on Nine and 9Now.

Billy Slater refused to throw any verbal barbs around the Tweed and it sort of feels his pleasant way leaked into the taking part in crew.

Former long-time trainer Mal Meninga used to be perplexed there gave the impression to be little aggro from the gamers on Wednesday.

“NSW dominated and there were players on their side that were prepared to cop it on the chin,” he informed SEN.

“The Queensland team needs to find some answers. It’s not because of personnel, it’s the way they play.”

Former Blues enforcer Willie Mason teed off on Queensland on his Levels Podcast.

“You’re shit scared because of what (Leniu) did to Max King the week before,” Mason stated, referencing a fearsome Leniu run off the kick-off at membership stage towards the Bulldogs.

“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’.

“They at all times attempt to make anyone public enemy No.1 and since (Thurston) is any such god up there they suspect they will get at him. But you’ll be able to’t get below a bloke’s pores and 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.”

Intriguingly, mythical Queensland hardman Gorden Tallis defended the method to kick the ball clear of Leniu, suggesting it used to be “smart”.

Titans veteran Kieran Foran – who hasn’t ever performed Origin however represented New Zealand a lot of occasions at the international degree – believes it would have laid the principles for a Maroons comeback.

“It would show a mentality from Queensland if they did kick to him,” Foran stated.

“Watching the game, watching how NSW just went after (Lindsay) Collins, that really set a tone, it was a statement.

“Queensland more than likely have were given to seem in there and ask why they did not do the similar factor, why did not they kick off to Spencer?

“It can inspire a group and lift one another. NSW did that better than Queensland to be honest.”

The Maroons have 3 weeks to contemplate what went mistaken as they try to stage the sequence in Perth on June 18.