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Sport Nation
Parker: Two vital changes to get QLD "frothing" for Origin II
SEN • May 30th, 2025 1:30 pm
Spencer Leniu did not quite get the “smash this Blue up” reception the local media had called for in State of Origin Game I, leaving Corey Parker to call for changes to the squad in a bid to get the team “frothing” for Game II.
Off the back of the agitator’s extended ban for a racial slur directed at Ezra Mam and his sideline blow-up with Johnathan Thurston, Leniu was public enemy number one going into Wednesday night’s game but he emerged entirely unscathed.
In the lead-up to the Suncorp showdown, Billy Slater and the Maroons camp didn’t mention Leniu by name and on the night the team refused to kick to him from the restart.
Parker said their decision to ignore Leniu was the wrong one and they should have played on the hate.
“I’m happy for DCE to stay in the team but I’m making change to other players,” Parker said on SENQ Breakfast.
“I want Corey Horsburgh in the side, we should have kicked off on Spencer Leniu.
“If Jaydn Su'A and Horsburgh were in the team and we said to kick off on Leniu, they would have been frothing, eyeballs rolling in the head.”
Kieran Foran agreed the decision to ignore Leniu totally backfired, and the Maroons looked tame because of it.
“It would show a mentality from Queensland if they did kick to him,” Foran added.
“Watching the game, watching how NSW just went after Collins, that really set a tone, it was a statement.
“QLD probably have got to look in there and ask why they didn’t do the same thing, why didn’t they kick off to Spencer?
“It can inspire a group and lift one another. NSW did that better than QLD to be honest.”
The Maroons travel to Perth 0-1 in the series after a NSW masterclass saw them emerge as 18-6 victors on Wednesday night.
