Spencer Leniu locks horns with Roosters tough guy Jared Waerea-Hargreaves as the mood boils with Penrith star forced off the field in an ugly brawl
- Spencer Linio and Jared Werea-Hargreaves were knocked out on Saturday
- Referee Adam G struggled to remove Linio from the field after the incident
- Waerea-Hargreaves seemed to sprinkle Linio with water
Spencer Linio and Jared Weria-Hargreaves were both left out as tensions flared late in the second half of Penrith’s 30-6 win over the Roosters at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
With just minutes left in the match, an off-the-ball incident threatened to develop into an all-out brawl as players on both sides became involved and referee Adam Gee struggled to regain control of the situation.
Replays showed Waerea-Hargreaves spraying Leniu with his water bottle, prompting an angry reaction from the Penrith star, who was looking to grab the Roosters by the neck.
With neither player willing to let go, their teammates had to step in to separate the two as Waerea-Hargreaves smiled mockingly towards Leniu, which seemed to anger the latter even more.
Jie ransacked both players, but Linio, who will join the Roosters next season, stuck his ground and initially refused to leave the field before his teammate eventually escorted him off the field.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (left) and Spencer Leniu (right) were excommunicated on Saturday
The pair were separated after a controversial incident late in the second half
As he walked off the field, the Samoan superstar made a rude gesture towards the fans and exchanged words with some of them.
There was more controversy surrounding Waerea-Hargreaves earlier in the match, as Liam Martin came in at second after trying to tackle the Tricolors.
The New South Wales star put his head in the wrong place and collected Waerea-Hargreaves’ hip thrust on his head, walking away from the blow with blood spurting from his temple.
Martin has been ruled a Category 1 concussion and now faces a mandatory 11-day layoff, which puts his availability into Origin II on June 21 in doubt.
Just minutes later, Waerea-Hargreaves hit a massive hit on Moses Leota, forcing a Panthers man out of the field due to an HIA and later ruled a Class 2 concussion.
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