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| Born | 8 September 2000 Auckland, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 110 kg (17 st 5 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Prop | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 27 September 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spencer Leniu (born 8 September 2000) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Of Samoan descent, Leniu was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and grew up in Sydney. [2] He played for the Minchinbury Jets in the Penrith District Junior Rugby League. [3]
Leniu made his first grade debut for Penrith against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in round 21 of the 2019 NRL season which ended in a 26–20 victory for Penrith at Panthers Stadium. [4] [5]
Leniu played 12 games for Penrith in the 2020 NRL season but did not feature in the clubs finals campaign or the 2020 NRL Grand Final loss to Melbourne.
Leniu played a total of 19 games for Penrith in the 2021 NRL season including the club's 2021 NRL Grand Final victory over South Sydney. [6]
Leniu played 25 games for Penrith in the 2022 NRL season including the clubs 2022 NRL Grand Final victory over Parramatta. [7]
In October Leniu was named in the Samoa squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. [8]
On 18 February, Leniu played in Penrith's 13–12 upset loss to St Helens RFC in the 2023 World Club Challenge. On February, Leniu announced he will join Sydney Roosters from 2024 onwards. [9] Leniu was selected as 19th man in the NSW Blues State of Origin squad for Game 3. [10] Leniu played 21 games for Penrith in the 2023 NRL season including the clubs 26–24 victory over Brisbane in the 2023 NRL Grand Final as Penrith won their third straight premiership. [11]
In round 1 of the 2024 NRL season, Leniu was placed on report during the Sydney Roosters victory over Brisbane at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. It was alleged that Leniu had called Brisbane player Ezra Mam a "monkey". The incident was immediately reported to the NRL judiciary. [12] [13] Leniu pleaded guilty to a contrary conduct charge and was suspended for eight games at the sentencing hearing on 11 March. [14] Leniu was asked about the racial vilification aimed at AFL legend Adam Goodes which ended his career, but the Sydney Roosters prop claimed he didn't know who Goodes was. [15]
On 21 May, the Sydney Roosters hit back at claims that Leniu had been taking illegal substances on a live stream along with fellow players Brandon Smith, Zach Dockar-Clay, Naufahu Whyte and Terrell May. The club released a statement which read "The Sydney Roosters have been made aware of a small clip from a longer live stream that some on social media have claimed identifies behaviour that breaches NRL rules. “The clip reveals no use of illicit substances or any other breach of NRL rules, however some see fit to make that grossly distorted and clearly damaging claim". [16]
On 26 May, Leniu was one of the surprise selections by New South Wales ahead of the 2024 State of Origin series. [17] He played in all 3 games of the series off the bench. Leniu played 17 matches for the Sydney Roosters in the 2024 NRL season. He played in all three finals matches for the club as they were defeated in the preliminary final by Melbourne. [18]
Isaah Patrick Ferguson-Yeo is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a lock and second-row forward for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL and Australia at international level. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest locks in NRL history. He currently is co captain of the Penrith Panthers, Vice captain of the New South Wales Blues and is the captain of the Australian Kangaroos.
Scott Sorensen is a New Zealand international rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward and lock for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL.
Erevonu Tuicaumatalevu "Tui" Kamikamica is a Fijian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Fiji at international level.
Nathan Cleary is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League and Australia at international level. He won the Clive Churchill Medal in 2021 and 2023 as well as Dally M Halfback of the year in 2020 and 2021. As co-captain, Cleary also led the Penrith Panthers to 5 consecutive grand final appearances, including four consecutive premiership wins from 2021 to 2024. He is considered one of the best halfbacks of all time.
Moses Leota is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop and lock for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL. He has played for both Samoa and New Zealand at international level. He won the 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 NRL Grand Finals with the Penrith Panthers.
Jarome Luai is an Australian rugby league footballer who represents Samoa. He plays as a halfback for the Wests Tigers in the NRL. He previously played for the Penrith Panthers, where he was a four time premiership winning player; he has also represented Samoa at test and 9's level, the NSW Blues in State of Origin and the Māori All Stars in the annual NRL All Stars match. He won the 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 NRL Grand Finals with the Penrith Panthers.
Sean Thomas O'Sullivan is an Australian rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Oregon Kaufusi is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League.
Liam Martin is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League and Australia at international level.
Jesse Arthars is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger or centre for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Brian To'o is an Australian and Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL.
Mitchell Kenny is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a hooker for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL. He is a NRL premiership winning player of 2022, 2023 and 2024
Stephen Crichton is a Samoan professional rugby league footballer who plays for and captains the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL and Samoa at international level. He has represented the NSW Blues in State of Origin.
Charlie Staines is a Samoan international rugby league footballer who plays as a winger or fullback for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Izack Tago is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL. He won the 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 NRL Grand Finals with the Penrith Panthers.
Ezra Mam is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League.
Terrell Davis May is an Australian rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Wests Tigers in the NRL.
Sunia Turuva is a Fiji international rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the Wests Tigers in the NRL .He previously played for the Penrith Panthers, where he was a 2 time premiership winner; he has won Dally M Rookie of the year 2022. Turuva was a part of the extended squad in 2021 and 2022 till he would cement himself in the Starting 13 and go on to win the 2023 and 2024 NRL Grand Finals with the Penrith Panthers.
The 2022 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2022 National Rugby League season in Australia. It was contested between the Penrith Panthers and the Parramatta Eels on Sunday the 2nd of October at Accor Stadium in Sydney. Penrith, who were both the defending premiers and minor premiers, won the match 28–12 to claim their fourth premiership title, and their first back-to-back premierships in the club's 56-year history. Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for being judged as the man of the match.
The 2023 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2023 National Rugby League season in Australia. It was contested between the Penrith Panthers and the Brisbane Broncos on Sunday the 1st of October at Accor Stadium in Sydney. Penrith, who were the two-time defending premiers and the defending minor premiers, won the match 26–24 to claim their fifth premiership title, and became the first club in forty years to win three consecutive first-grade premierships, following the Parramatta Eels' three-peat from 1981 to 1983. Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary, who scored the winning try for his team, was awarded his second Clive Churchill Medal for being judged as the man of the match. The match gained significant notability for featuring the largest comeback victory in grand final history, with the Panthers overcoming a 24–8 deficit after 56 minutes by scoring 18 unanswered points to ultimately win the match.
