Indigenous Broncos player accuses Roosters forward of racial comment

Accusations of a racial comment by new Sydney Roosters recruit Spencer Leniu against Brisbane five-eighth Ezra Mam marred a statement performance by the Tricolours against last year’s grand finalists in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Referee Adam Gee brought the match to a halt in the 69th minute, placing Leniu on report following a formal complaint from Mam.

“Ezra has made a formal complaint,” Gee said to the Roosters after a push-and-shove broke out. “It’s racial in nature against Spencer. I haven’t heard it. The incident goes on report and it will be dealt with after. That’s where it’s at.”

The incident at least partly overshadowed a Sydney Roosters masterclass against the highly fancied Broncos on a night skipper James Tedesco gave notice that his best days aren’t behind him.

Together with new father and rugby-bound Joseph Manu, the Roosters’ two biggest attacking weapons sent a warning out to opponents who were starting to think the club’s premiership window had closed.

The Broncos, still shaking off the heartache of a 17-minute grand final capitulation that cost them last year’s premiership, started the game looking like the team that finished their last.

Roosters recruit Spencer Leniu.

Mam gifted the Roosters the opening points of the game with a loose pass that was intercepted by Manu, who only joined his teammates in the United States five days out from the game after staying home for the birth of his child.

NRL pin-up boy Reece Walsh started the match looking like he had just walked off Las Vegas Boulevard wearing hot pink boots.

They lasted just five minutes, though, with Walsh switching for a white pair that you could only assume provided more grip on a surface the Broncos were unfamiliar with, given they weren’t allowed to do a captain’s run on Allegiant Stadium like the “home team” the Roosters.

Whatever advantage the Roosters had gained showed, producing a rust-free first half that left onlookers wondering if this would be the year they finally put it all together.

Joseph Manu celebrates a try for the Roosters.

The Broncos were missing four players from last year’s grand final – Kurt Capewell, Tom Flegler, Herbie Farnworth and Keenan Palasia.

Trailing 8-0 and looking lost for ideas, Brisbane threw the ball to Walsh in the hope he might have the Midas touch.

The Broncos No.1 almost ran himself out of space on the narrow playing surface but, in typical Walsh fashion, produced something out of nothing with a deft grubber kick against the grain and through the legs of the Roosters defenders to send Deine Mariner over for their first try of the season.

The 8-4 lead the Roosters took into the sheds wasn’t a reflection of their dominance in the opening period of the match, regardless of the Sam Walker field goal on the stroke of half-time that was controversially taken away from them in response to the NRL’s crackdown on attacking players impeding defenders.

A converted try to Junior Pauga in the 53rd minute, courtesy of a miraculous flick pass from the rugby union-bound Manu, ticked the scoreboard over to a margin that resembled the Roosters’ superiority.

Walsh, again, had something to say about that when he combined with the Broncos outside backs to reduce the deficit to just four points with almost a quarter of the game remaining.

In the end the Roosters got what they deserved, with Tedesco fittingly putting the exclamation mark on an impressive outing.

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