The moment Johnathan Thurston and Spencer Leniu exchanged a heated discussion has been captured.
— Telegraph Sport (@telegraph_sport) April 12, 2025
DETAILS | https://t.co/628b8GyCSG pic.twitter.com/Yd6GZvA1rc
The Roosters recorded another big win this year against the Broncos. Huge effort to go to Suncorp as 7-1 underdogs and win in the style they did, but it certainly wasn’t without controversy.
The presser after the game broke news that there was an altercation at HT between Spencer and JT, and Robbo was quick to shut down the drama surrounding the incident, whilst just as quick to warn the media to chill out and not make it another beat up. And he was 100% correct to do that.
Since the story broke, every media outlet has been quick to criticise Spencer for ‘thuggish’ type behaviour, saying how unprofessional he was, some calling for suspensions, and how JT is a great of the game. Blah, blah blah.
Let’s set the record straight. Thurston was the one who approached Spencer (for a HT interview,) reportedly more than once, and Spencer declined to speak with him – albeit calling him a fuckwit in the process. But cmon, this isn’t even remotely close to thuggish behaviour – it’s words between two men and that’s where it should stay. The media beat up around this is hilarious.
Spencer holds a grudge from last year where he was suspended for 8 weeks for calling Ezra Mam a “monkey”. JT was super critical of Spencer, especially the suspension he received, calling it far too lenient with 12 weeks more appropriate. But Spencer’s grudge extends to JT’s silence around Mam’s drug driving incident, where Mam only received a 9 week suspension – and that JT’s lack of commentary around this may have been far too convenient (my words, not his).
And I can see Spencer’s point on this. Whilst commentators like JT have every right to speak on whatever issue they want, it is somewhat convenient that he said NOTHING about Mam, especially considering how hard he went to bat for him earlier in 2024. Basically every NRL commentator had something to say about this issue, and JT’s silence was deafening.
But let’s just stick to the incident from Friday night.
At the end of the day, JT has every right to speak with Spencer for an interview, just as Spencer has every right to decline it. And whether or not you think Spencer was in the right for calling out JT – it was had out between two men, how every disagreement should be settled, and it just needs to be left at that.
