'What situation?': Billy Slater pours cold water over Spencer Leniu feud despite 'grub' claim
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Billy Slater remained cool, calm and collected at the captain's run press conference on Tuesday morning, brushing off questions about Queensland's feud with Spencer Leniu.
The front-rower will be public enemy No.1 in the State of Origin series opener after his well-publicised spat with Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston earlier this year.
The fuse was lit even further on the eve of the clash at Suncorp Stadium, with a headline from The Courier Mail urging the players to "smash this NSW grub".
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Obviously, that message hadn't got through to Slater or the squad, with the coach not even aware of the headline or any perceived beef with the Blues enforcer.
Johnathan Thurston and Spencer Leniu clashed after the Roosters win over the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. NRL Photos
"What situation is that?," Slater responded.
"I haven't seen that headline and it wouldn't have come from anyone [inside camp]. You might have to ask the person who put the headline up, it certainly didn't come from me.
"Those things are out of our control. We can't control a lot of things that happen, but there's certain things we can control and that's playing footy."
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Leniu's firebrand style and his stoush with Thurston have made him a target for those north of the border and there's reason to believe some of the Queensland pack will be looking to go after the Roosters star once he enters the fray from the bench.
The build-up to the Origin series has also been the topic of debate, with the lack of trash talk from both NSW and Queensland or spicy narratives under the microscope.
Slater believes that makes little difference to what transpires on the field.
"I don't think so - the game sells itself," he said.
"There's been some great encounters in State of Origin. If you need the bitter feud off the field, you're probably not doing the job on the field."
Billy Slater speaks to media ahead of game one. Nine
The champion fullback turned Maroons boss also said he wasn't aware of the spygate dramas in NSW camp, but admitted they would need to be wary if Stephen Crichton was ruled out with injury and replaced by Campbell Graham in the centres.
"To be honest with you, I don't know what you're talking about," Slater said.
"It's probably just an awareness for us., if he does come out and someone else comes in, they come in with different strengths.
"It's not a sigh of relief ... it's more about the tactical coaching."
