‘I let down the state’: Gorden Tallis’ big warning after Blues ‘gamble’ on Origin ‘game changer’

He has been described as “definitely made for the Origin arena” and a potential “game changer” for the NSW Blues.

But former Maroons forward Gorden Tallis has warned it “can go one of two ways” as Roosters firebrand Spencer Leniu prepares to make his Origin debut next Wednesday.

Leniu, who was shocked to even be on Michael Maguire’s radar ahead of the series opener, has been named on the bench in a role that former teammate Isaah Yeo believes he can thrive in.

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“I just feel like there was no front rower that brings impact off the bench like he does in the whole comp,” Yeo told foxsports.com.au this week.

“… There is no one in the comp who can change the tide of a game in that position off the bench like he can.”

That is Yeo’s opinion, of course, but the numbers also speak to Leniu’s ability to make the most of his short stints on the field, averaging a tick over 80 metres a game off the bench in the past two seasons.

Keep in mind he has been doing that in less than 40 minutes of playing time too.

“You need those kind of players that are ready to bring that dog in them,” Panthers winger and now Blues teammate Brian To’o told foxsports.com.au.

“I know my bro Spenny has got that fire and dog in him so I can’t wait to see him show it next Wednesday.

“He’s not scared of anything. That’s one thing I took from Spendog is to not be afraid to put your best foot forward… I’m pretty much scared of him every time I muck around with him.”

Those sort of comments were consistent across the board from Leniu’s former Penrith teammates, with Liam Martin telling foxsports.com.au that the energy he brought off the bench during his time at the Panthers was “something else”.

“You’ll just watch him have a carry and run 30 metres, breaking tackles and you grew an extra leg from it,” Martin said.

“It just shows in his carries and his defence, how aggressive he is on the field,” added Stephen Crichton.

“He is definitely made for the Origin arena.

“… Just the way he plays, that aggressive player he is, [it] gives confidence to the boys when he comes on and brings that energy.”

Tallis though has warned there is a fine line that Leniu will need to walk in his Origin debut should he taken on the role many expect him to as the Blues’ enforcer off the bench.

“He’s the closest one to Mark Geyer,” Tallis said on Fox League’s ‘NRL 360’.

“When Mark Geyer came on it was, ‘Whatever rules you want, go out there and do your job for New South Wales’.”

But as Tallis later added, he learned the hard way that there are rules that you still need to follow, reflecting on the time he was sent off by referee Bill Harrigan for calling him a cheat.

“You can’t let your teammates down,” Tallis said of that cautionary tale.

“You learn that through experience. You’ve got to get sent off, you’ve got to get sin binned. “That night I got sent off in the State of Origin was probably the worst moment. I let down not only the other 16 players, I let down the state.

“He hasn’t done it yet. He’s got to learn from his experience. I’m excited to watch him play. Is he an Origin player? Every day of the week. Is he going to come out and try and rip and tear us? Absolutely. But it can go two ways.”

Former Panthers supremo and Blues representative Phil Gould agreed it could go one of two ways when it comes to Leniu, although he had a different concern ahead of the 23-year-old’s debut.

Gould said on his ‘Six Tackles with Gus’ podcast that the “only question mark” he had over Leniu’s selection was how an injury up front could change his role and leave NSW vulnerable up front.

“My only question mark is a little bit on Spencer Leniu because he’s an impact player off the bench,” Gould said.

“He’s not an 80 minute player and if injuries forced him onto the field and he had to play 70 minutes, I think that becomes an issue for him and the team.

“But if he is able to be used as he is used in club football with a couple of 10-minute stints, he could be a game changer. No risk in the world. They’ve take on that gamble.”

Wednesday night won’t technically be the first time Leniu has pulled on the sky blue, having previously represented his state at the Under-18s and Under-20s level.

He was coached by NSW and Kangaroo enforcer Mark O’Meley back then, with James Hooper revealing on NRL 360 that The Ogre told him that “this kid is destined to storm into Origin and dominate”.

“Put it this way, when I’ve held the pads for the NSW under 18s and 20s the last two years, this kid’s the only one who’s knocked me over,” O’Meley told foxsports.com.au back in 2019.

Those games playing under O’Meley and against Queensland were Leniu’s first real introduction to the State of Origin concept, having spent the early years of his life in New Zealand.

“I didn’t really know the beef Queensland and New South Wales had with one another until I played it in junior reps,” he told foxsports.com.au.

“Ogre [Mark O’Meley] ran through what he sort of went through when he was playing here and we were both similar positions.”

A position that demands Leniu take it to the opposition forward pack and that is something the Blues debutant is not shying away from on Wednesday night as he looks to join the likes of Geyer and Paul Gallen as the latest NSW enforcers to hit the Origin arena.

“I think that [aggression] just comes with playing that sort of prop role,” Leniu said.

“I’ve got to take all that kind of stuff and play aggressive and that’s sort of who I am. I just can’t wait to rip in.”

“… We’re just going to have to wait and see when we cross those white lines. But I know if I see maroon it’s on.”