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Joseph Leilua has taken issue with criticism from NRL great Michael Ennis following the Tigers’ ugly season-opening loss to the Raiders on Sunday.
Leilua appeared to lose his cool during the contest and came up with several noticeable mistakes after brother Luciano appeared to be collected high during a tackle from Canberra’s Hudson Young.
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Leilua’s brain farts were one of the big talking points to emerge from the Round 1 clash with Ennis happy to declare the marquee signing has to do better for his club after a disappointing first season with the Tigers.
“It’s a shame for Joey,” Ennis said
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“He brings so much to the side when he’s focused and invested in the performance of the side.”
“Young got one on (Luciano) early and Joey came over pointing the finger and from that moment he then came up with that play where he clipped James Tamou — who had to leave the field.
“He came up with some really under pressure passes, one for James Roberts — that was never on — and defensively George Williams sliced through him and another one when Bailey Simonsson picked up a kick from George Williams which ended up being Hudson Young’s try. There was very minimal effort to get back.
“They need more from Joey, he’s a marquee player that can be a real x-factor and if the Tigers are going to have any creativity it’s players like Joey that need to be an eight and nine out of 10 every week.”
Leilua responded on Monday with an Instagram post that fired back at Ennis and fellow Fox League Big League Wrap panellist James Hooper.
“So that’s play on?? Bruh wonder what would happen if it was me that ran in with a closed first, forearm and clip someone in the head,” Leilua wrote as a caption for a photo that showed Young’s tackle.
“#Ennisstoptalkingsh** and baldy stop holding his pocket.”
Leilua and Ennis worked together during Ennis’ 2019 cameo as an assistant coach in Canberra.
But there does not appear to be any relationship between the pair.
Leilua instead shot the messenger following his up and down season opener.
The former Raiders player missed two tackles, threw a risky offload deep in his own half that James Roberts knocked on and clattered into James Tamou which forced the Tigers skipper to go off for a HIA.
Leilua gets a chance to prove Ennis wrong in the Tigers’
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