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"He's a coward": Ex-Blue slams Woods over grubgate
SEN • June 23rd, 2025 2:08 pm
Aaron Woods has been branded a “coward” for his role in “grubgate” by his former State of Origin teammate Ryan Hoffman.
Woods made headlines two weeks ago when he branded Maroons coach Billy Slater “a grub” during a live radio broadcast.
Slater responded a week later at a press conference in Perth and preached a message around mental health making reference to former Queensland coach Paul Green.
His comments backfired when he suggested that "maybe the last coach didn't" handle criticism well.
Green, who led Queensland in 2021, lost his battle with mental health in 2022.
Amid a wave of fury over Slater's comments, the Queenslander was forced to apologise on Wednesday morning during which he revealed he had spoken with Green's widow Amanda.
Green’s family accepted Slater’s apology and praised his courage for correcting himself – a sentiment shared by Hoffman who has slammed Woods.
“Just throwing out those comments, you don't know what people have got going on in their lives - you don't know the effect that that can have," Hoffman said on ABC.
“In the end, all you're doing is allowing other people to say those comments in the name of "banter". But where do you draw the line? Is calling someone a grub where you would draw the line?
“Is calling someone worse, is it making sexist, racist comments to people allowed because it's in the name of "banter"?
“Just throwing those ridiculous comments out just gives more people avenues to say what they want to who they want without any repercussions.
“Aaron Woods was a coward for standing behind a microphone and throwing that out there.
“Billy Slater showed courage going out there on a microphone and talking about responsibility.
“He made a mistake and apologised to the Green family but he fronted up in front of the camera, in front of the microphone, every single time.
'Bill (Slater) wrongly made the point about linking it to Paul Green. But the point he was trying to make was perfect.”
Amid the stoush between Slater and Woods, Queensland went into Origin Game 2 last week needing a win to extend the series.
They held off a late NSW onslaught to win by two-points meaning Game 3 in Sydney on July will decide the 2025 series.
