A centre or winger, he played for the Gold Coast Seagulls and St George Dragons in the ARL and NRL, and the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League.
[2] In 1995, he joined the Gold Coast Seagulls and made his first grade debut in round 7 of the 1995 ARL season, scoring a try in a 16–28 loss to the Eastern Suburbs.
[8] In 2011, after a year away from coaching, Lenihan joined the Bilambil Jets, winning the Bycroft Cup in his first season at the club.
[10] In 2016, the Bears won the Queensland Cup Grand Final, defeating the Redcliffe Dolphins 26–16 at Suncorp Stadium.
[11] In 2019, Lenihan won his second Queensland Cup Grand Final with the Bears, defeating the Wynnum Manly Seagulls 28–10 at Dolphin Stadium.