The NRL is facing growing calls to enforce media obligations on high-profile players Latrell Mitchell and Spencer Leniu amid concerns their continued silence is undermining the build-up to State of Origin II in Perth.
Analysts Matty Johns and David Riccio have voiced fears that the lack of player engagement could contribute to the second game of the series falling flat, particularly as the league eyes expansion into Western Australia.
Mitchell has avoided all media interactions throughout the 2025 season, with South Sydney shielding him to help maintain focus on his game. Leniu, on the other hand, has remained out of the media spotlight since a heated post-match altercation with Queensland legend Johnathan Thurston earlier in the year.
Both players have continued their media boycott in the New South Wales Origin camp, a move many believe has sapped energy from the lead-up to the blockbuster series.
“The media build-up and promotion is critical to the hype and excitement before the game, but it’s become so boring and vanilla,” Riccio said on SEN Radio. “We’re not hearing from the actual players. The game has a responsibility to ensure the superstars promote and sell it.”
Riccio highlighted that Leniu’s absence is especially disappointing given Queensland’s tactical decision in Game 1 to avoid kicking to him—a storyline ripe for discussion but left unexplored due to his silence.
Adding to the pressure, Matty Johns criticized the lack of accountability, pointing out that Origin players are paid $30,000 per match.
“If you’re getting paid that money, it’s your responsibility to talk,” Johns asserted. “And it’s your responsibility to build the game up.”
The stakes are particularly high in Perth, which is set to join the NRL in 2027. A successful Origin event is seen as crucial to cementing rugby league’s presence in Western Australia. Riccio stressed the need for the NRL to adapt its promotional approach and allow referees more leeway to facilitate a fast, engaging game that will captivate local fans.
“We can’t allow Game 2 to unfold the way the first one did,” he said. “This game has to be an absolute spectacle to win over the West Australian public.”
With Origin’s status as the game’s marquee event under scrutiny, commentators like Riccio and Johns are urging the NRL not to rest on its laurels and to re-evaluate how it markets the sport’s biggest stage.
