'We'd all had enough': Luai lifts lid on fiery 'build-up' as NRL charges ...

There’s been a lot of talk about footy players stepping into the boxing ring, but there can only be one main event with promoters scrambling to set up a heavyweight bout between Roosters veteran Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Panthers prop Spencer Leniu.

The old bull and the young buck will be teammates next year but it’s going to be an awkward pre-season after the pair almost came to blows on Saturday night in one of the most heated moments of 2023.

Panthers players were already furious with the Roosters prop after he cocked an elbow that caught Moses Leota high and drew blood, forcing the Panthers big man off for an HIA.

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That was just the tip of the iceberg with Waerea-Hargreaves ditching the fuel to literally pour water onto the fire when he squirted a water bottle and then threw it at the Panthers firebrand.

Leniu had to be restrained by teammates who struggled to hold him back as he shouted at his opponent and gave him the mother of all death stares.

Both players were charged with two contrary conduct offences by the NRL Match Review Committee.

Leniu only faces monetary fines while Waerea-Hargreaves is looking at two games on the sideline for both charges if he fights them unsuccessfully due to his record.

However, he will escape suspension with the early guilty plea.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson said “it was good theatre, move on” but Penrith’s Ivan Cleary hit back with “Jared started it, he was looking for trouble and he found it”.

“Look it started from Jared, he was looking for trouble and that was obvious and he found it,” Cleary said in his press conference.

“There was numerous incidents weren’t there? I think the balance of probability was that Jared was probably the one initiating it. That’s all that happened.

“I’ve seen it in games (Leniu’s fiery response), I don’t think many front-rowers like what happened.

“It was a little condescending I thought and just unnecessary. I don’t even know what was said, but Spencer doesn’t like it.

“I thought he was a little unfortunate. I am not sure why he was put in the bin, but anyway. It was probably a good thing in the end I suppose.”

Both men were sent to the sin bin but not before Leniu continued his verbal barrage with the fans.

“I was trying to calm down Jared but that’s a tough task when he’s seeing red,” Roosters captain James Tedesco said on Fox League.

“Obviously Jared plays with that aggression and when he’s in a confrontation like that it’s very hard to try and calm him down.

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“I’m glad he didn’t do anything silly and that’s why we love Jared because he plays with such aggression but it can cost us at times as well.

“I was thinking that (Leniu) is coming to our team next year and he’s already off half our team, that’s going to be interesting.”

Speaking to reporters post-match, Penrith No.6 Luai also said Warea-Hargreaves “had a fair bit to say”.

“Especially after the elbows as well, which sort of ticked us all off and I think that was just a build-up of a bit of frustration,” Luai said, per NRL.com.

“It’s heat of the battle stuff and, you know, what happens on the field stays on the field but there’s got to be a line in the sand, and we’d all had enough of him.”

Panthers skipper Isaah Yeo was also struggling to calm down his fiery prop.

“It obviously wasn’t working, just trying to keep him calm and you don’t want things like that to happen, particularly at the back-end of the year,” Yeo said.

“If that was a big game and he loses his head, sometimes when he loses his head you can’t get him back. But he’s been outstanding for us this year, we just don’t want him to go away from that.

“It’s just trying to get him back when he has those moments, but that’s how it goes.”

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Penrith trio James Fisher-Harris, Stephen Crichton and Brian To’o all weighed in on the melee.

“I was just trying to calm the boys down, I know both of them but they are a bit fiery those two,” Fisher-Harris said.

“It’s good to see, but also 10 minutes in the bin for each other is not that smart.:

“I think it just shows how big the occasion is, coming out here we know it is going to be the battle of the forwards and that’s what it was,” Crichton said.

“He’s all right, he is a pretty cool, calm and collected type of guys. But whatever happens on the field stays on the field, that’s the whole point of the game,” To’o said.

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