Mal Meninga
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Norman Meninga AM
(born 8 July 1960) is an Australian former rugby league
test captain and current coach of Queensland's State of Origin
team. As a player he was a legendary goal-kicking centre, counted amongst the finest footballers of the 20th century. He went on to coach for five seasons in the NRL with the Canberra Raiders
and has been coach of Queensland's State of Origin team since 2006, having not yet lost a series.
Meninga broke numerous rugby league records during his playing career. He retired with the most appearances, and most points for the Australian rugby league team, and became the top-point scorer for Queensland in State of Origin history. Meninga has since been honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia
, has been inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame
and has also been named at centre in both Queensland's and Australia's rugby league teams of the century.
, Queensland, Graduated from Maroochydore High School, Meninga is an Australian South Sea Islander
, a descendant of plantation workers recruited or blackbirded
to work in the Queensland sugar industry in the late 19th century. He is an official spokesperson for the South Sea Islander community. Before becoming a full-time professional footballer, Meninga was a police officer at West End Police Station, along with fellow Souths Magpies players Gary Belcher
and Peter Jackson
.
, converting seven goals from seven attempts (Meninga was one of the last players to use the kicking style of punting the end of the football with the toe of the boot). Later that year he played in the Magpies' BRL Premiership grand final
loss, scoring a try and kicking 3 goals. However, in 1981 Meninga again reached the grand final with Souths and won. The following year he was named man-of-the-match in Game 1 of 1982 State of Origin series and then played for Souths in the BRL Grand Final. Post season he toured Europe with the undefeated 1982 "Invincibles" Kangaroo squad
, making his debut in the green & gold as Kangaroo No. 540.
. St Helens had paid around £30,000 for his services to play in the Australian off-season and he helped the club to victory in the RFL Premiership. Meninga didn't manage to serve a second spell at Knowsley Road
, for a variety of reasons, not least being a succession of injuries that also punctuated his career for Canberra Raiders and Australia. Yet he remains a legendary figure in international rugby league, remembered for his formidable power, pace and handling ability.
at the Canberra Raiders
, where they would play all of their New South Wales Rugby League premiership
games. Meninga played in Canberra's loss to Manly in the 1987 Grand Final, kicking one goal. After being given the Raiders' captaincy, he led Canberra to their first premiership in 1989 after overcoming the highly fancied Balmain Tigers
in the Grand Final
. The following year Meninga led the Raiders to another grand final victory against the Penrith Panthers
. He was also 1990's top try-scorer (getting five in the Round 5 match against Easts) and top-point scorer, and was named as Rugby League Week
's player of the year. At the end of the 1990 NSWRL season, he went on the 1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France
. Also that year, Meninga was named Britain's BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, the first rugby league player to win it.
Big Mal captained Australia for 23 Test matches between 1990 and 1994, and captained the Queensland State of Origin team for three years from 1992 to 1994. He remains the only player to captain a Kangaroo Tour
on two occasions, in 1990 and 1994
.
On Australia Day
1994, Meninga was made a Member of the Order of Australia "for service to rugby league football". Later that year he played his last game for the Canberra Raiders in the 1994 Grand Final where he led his team to victory over the Canterbury Bulldogs
and to their third premiership in six years, scoring the last try of the match.
At the end of the 1994 NSWRL season, he went on the 1994 Kangaroo tour
. On 4 December 1994, at Béziers
, France, he captained Australia to a 74–0 victory over the French
, scoring the final try of the game, and of his career.
concept during the Super League war
of the mid-1990s. His popularity and playing record as a domestic and international captain were valuable in raising the profile of the rebel competition. In 1995 Meninga's book Mal Meninga: My Life in Football was published. He was appointed head coach of his old club, the Canberra Raiders in Australia's Super League season in 1997.
. On Monday, 24 September 2001, just after he declared his candidancy for the the electorate of Molonglo
, he pulled out mid-sentence, stating, "And the thing about that is, I guess, I was a public figure and I was put on the podium where I was just a person out there . . . I'm buggered, I'm sorry, I have to resign."
Subsequently, this incident led to the satirical
Chaser
team instituting the 'Mal Award' for their election television shows
, presented to politicians "for the greatest act of political suicide during an election campaign". In an episode, which aired on 28 November 2007, Meninga satirized himself when he was brought in to present the award but "gave up" mid-speech.
, but achieved only moderate success. In 2000, Meninga was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league. The following year, he received the Centenary Medal
"for service as a role model and inspiration as a rugby league player of the highest standard". After Canberra failed to make the finals of the 2001 NRL season, finishing fourth-last (11th out of 14 teams), Matthew Elliott replaced Meninga as the Raiders coach.
In late 2002, Meninga expressed interest in the Queensland State of Origin team
coaching job.
Meninga left Canberra
and returned to Queensland in 2005, opening several successful businesses, including a fruit and vegetable wholesale business in the Brisbane Markets, and several Strathfield Car Sound outlets. In late 2005, he was announced as the new Queensland State of Origin coach, to replace Michael Hagan
.
side to victory over the Papua New Guinea Kumuls.
Meninga attended the 2007 Challenge Cup Final
at Wembley Stadium
as a guest of honour.
On 13 October 2006, Meninga was reappointed as coach of the Maroons for the 2007 State of Origin series and 2008 State of Origin series, both of which Queensland won, taking his record with the Maroons to three wins from three series. When Meninga was given a new contract after the 2008 series, he was quoted as saying: "I want to win six [State of Origin series] in a row".
In the 2009 series, Queensland won the first two games giving them a record fourth consecutive series win with captain Darren Lockyer
saying Meninga now stands among the legends in State of Origin.
In December 2009, Meninga was named coach of the year at the Queensland Sports Awards.
In 2010, Meninga coached Queensland to a record 5th straight series win, and is now regarded as one of the greatest and most successful Origin coaches in history. He also coached them to their first "Clean Sweep" since 1995. As well as this, he is the only coach in Origin history to have never lost more than one Origin series.
In 2011, Meninga achieved his 6th straight series as coach of Queensland honoring a promise he made in 2008.
The weekend after Queensland won its sixth straight series, Mal Meninga penned a column in Brisbane's The Sunday Mail attacking the NSW media and match review panel, and labelling them "filth and rats" after he believed that they [the NSW media] had tried to sabotage his side's attempts at winning their sixth successive series by charging Johnathan Thurston
and David Taylor
with on-field incidents (only the latter was suspended) and also attacking NSW coach Ricky Stuart
(the last man to win an Origin series for the Blues) over his decision not to reveal the Blues line-up up to one hour before kick-off (which is when the official team lists must be released prior to a match). He was set to face legal action from the NRL's match review panel over his now controversial column, but after negotiations with them on the 1st of August 2011, the matter was resolved. Meninga still maintains what he has written.
is named the "Mal Meninga Stand" in his honour. The Canberra Raiders' player of the year receives the Mal Meninga Medal
in his honour since 2008 and a statue of him has been placed behind the Mal Meninga grandstand next to the one of Laurie Daley
.
In 2003, he was admitted into the Australian Rugby League
Hall of Fame.
In February 2008, Meninga was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL
and ARL
to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. Meninga went on to be named as one of the centres, along with Reg Gasnier
, in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century
. Announced on 17 April 2008, the team is the panels' majority choice for each of the thirteen starting positions and four interchange players.
In June 2008, he was chosen in the Queensland Rugby League's Team of the Century
at centre.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 8 July 1960) is an Australian former rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
test captain and current coach of Queensland's State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
team. As a player he was a legendary goal-kicking centre, counted amongst the finest footballers of the 20th century. He went on to coach for five seasons in the NRL with the Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
and has been coach of Queensland's State of Origin team since 2006, having not yet lost a series.
Meninga broke numerous rugby league records during his playing career. He retired with the most appearances, and most points for the Australian rugby league team, and became the top-point scorer for Queensland in State of Origin history. Meninga has since been honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, has been inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame
Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame
The Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame honors players who have shown exceptional skill at rugby league, all-time great coaches and referees, and other major contributors to the game who are Australian...
and has also been named at centre in both Queensland's and Australia's rugby league teams of the century.
Early life
Born in BundabergBundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg is a city in Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Local Government Area of the Bundaberg Region and is a major centre within Queensland's broader Wide Bay-Burnett geographical region...
, Queensland, Graduated from Maroochydore High School, Meninga is an Australian South Sea Islander
South Sea Islander
The Australian label South Sea Islanders refers to the Australian descendants of people from the more than 80 islands in the Western Pacific including the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu in Melanesia and the Loyalty Islands, Samoa, Kiribati, Rotuma and Tuvalu in Polynesia and Micronesia who were...
, a descendant of plantation workers recruited or blackbirded
Blackbirding
Blackbirding is a term that refers to recruitment of people through trickery and kidnappings to work as labourers. From the 1860s blackbirding ships were engaged in seeking workers to mine the guano deposits on the Chincha Islands in Peru...
to work in the Queensland sugar industry in the late 19th century. He is an official spokesperson for the South Sea Islander community. Before becoming a full-time professional footballer, Meninga was a police officer at West End Police Station, along with fellow Souths Magpies players Gary Belcher
Gary Belcher
Gary Belcher is an Australian rugby league football commentator and former player of the 1980s and '90s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative goal-kicking fullback, he played club football in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership for Souths and in the NSWRL...
and Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
.
Brisbane
Meninga made his first grade debut in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership at the age of 18 with Souths Magpies. From there he was first selected to play centre for Queensland in 1979, and the following year helped his state to a win in rugby league's first ever State of Origin match against New South WalesNew South Wales rugby league team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
, converting seven goals from seven attempts (Meninga was one of the last players to use the kicking style of punting the end of the football with the toe of the boot). Later that year he played in the Magpies' BRL Premiership grand final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
loss, scoring a try and kicking 3 goals. However, in 1981 Meninga again reached the grand final with Souths and won. The following year he was named man-of-the-match in Game 1 of 1982 State of Origin series and then played for Souths in the BRL Grand Final. Post season he toured Europe with the undefeated 1982 "Invincibles" Kangaroo squad
The Invincibles (rugby league)
The Australia national rugby league team have generally since 1908 barring wartime, toured Great Britain every four years often capping the tour with games and Tests in France. This regular touring side are known as the Kangaroos...
, making his debut in the green & gold as Kangaroo No. 540.
St Helens
Mal Meninga became a Saint for their 1984-85 season1984-85 Rugby Football League season
The 1984–85 Rugby Football League season was the 90th ever season of professional rugby league football in Britain. Sixteen teams competed from August, 1984 until May, 1985 for the Slalom Lager Championship.-Season summary:...
. St Helens had paid around £30,000 for his services to play in the Australian off-season and he helped the club to victory in the RFL Premiership. Meninga didn't manage to serve a second spell at Knowsley Road
Knowsley Road
Knowsley Road was a stadium located in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside. It was the home of St Helens RLFC from 1890 until its closure in 2010. St Helens Town FC played their home fixtures at Knowsley Road from 2002 until 2010. For a period, the venue also hosted Liverpool FC Reserves...
, for a variety of reasons, not least being a succession of injuries that also punctuated his career for Canberra Raiders and Australia. Yet he remains a legendary figure in international rugby league, remembered for his formidable power, pace and handling ability.
Canberra
After many seasons and two (1981, 1985) premierships with the Magpies in the Brisbane League, in 1986, Meninga joined Souths teammate Gary BelcherGary Belcher
Gary Belcher is an Australian rugby league football commentator and former player of the 1980s and '90s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative goal-kicking fullback, he played club football in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership for Souths and in the NSWRL...
at the Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
, where they would play all of their New South Wales Rugby League premiership
New South Wales Rugby League premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's and later the country's elite rugby league competition...
games. Meninga played in Canberra's loss to Manly in the 1987 Grand Final, kicking one goal. After being given the Raiders' captaincy, he led Canberra to their first premiership in 1989 after overcoming the highly fancied Balmain Tigers
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
in the Grand Final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
. The following year Meninga led the Raiders to another grand final victory against the Penrith Panthers
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
. He was also 1990's top try-scorer (getting five in the Round 5 match against Easts) and top-point scorer, and was named as Rugby League Week
Rugby League Week
Rugby League Week is the second highest selling Australian rugby league magazine, behind major competitor Big League...
's player of the year. At the end of the 1990 NSWRL season, he went on the 1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France
1990 Kangaroo Tour of Great Britain and France
The 1990 Kangaroo Tour was the seventeenth Kangaroo Tour, where the Australian national rugby league team travelled to Europe and played eighteen matches against British and French rugby league teams, in addition to three Test matches...
. Also that year, Meninga was named Britain's BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, the first rugby league player to win it.
Big Mal captained Australia for 23 Test matches between 1990 and 1994, and captained the Queensland State of Origin team for three years from 1992 to 1994. He remains the only player to captain a Kangaroo Tour
Kangaroo Tour
Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France. The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours took place every four years and involved a three-Test Ashes series against Great Britain and a number of tour matches...
on two occasions, in 1990 and 1994
1994 Kangaroo Tour
The 1994 Kangaroo Tour was the last played in the conventional format, where the Australian side plays a number of matches against British and French clubs or provincial outfits, in additions to the Test matches...
.
On Australia Day
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
1994, Meninga was made a Member of the Order of Australia "for service to rugby league football". Later that year he played his last game for the Canberra Raiders in the 1994 Grand Final where he led his team to victory over the Canterbury Bulldogs
Canterbury Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
and to their third premiership in six years, scoring the last try of the match.
At the end of the 1994 NSWRL season, he went on the 1994 Kangaroo tour
1994 Kangaroo Tour
The 1994 Kangaroo Tour was the last played in the conventional format, where the Australian side plays a number of matches against British and French clubs or provincial outfits, in additions to the Test matches...
. On 4 December 1994, at Béziers
Béziers
Béziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
, France, he captained Australia to a 74–0 victory over the French
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
, scoring the final try of the game, and of his career.
Post-playing
Following his retirement Mal Meninga openly supported the Super LeagueSuper League (Australia)
Super League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
concept during the Super League war
Super League war
The Super League war is the common name given to the corporate dispute that was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s between the Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation-backed Super League and the Kerry Packer and Optus Vision-backed Australian Rugby League organisations over broadcasting...
of the mid-1990s. His popularity and playing record as a domestic and international captain were valuable in raising the profile of the rebel competition. In 1995 Meninga's book Mal Meninga: My Life in Football was published. He was appointed head coach of his old club, the Canberra Raiders in Australia's Super League season in 1997.
Political career
Meninga briefly campaigned for a seat in the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly during the Territory's 2001 general electionAustralian Capital Territory general election, 2001
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 20 October 2001. The incumbent Liberal Party, led by Gary Humphries, was challenged by the Labor Party, led by Jon Stanhope. candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single...
. On Monday, 24 September 2001, just after he declared his candidancy for the the electorate of Molonglo
Molonglo electorate
The Molonglo electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has seven seats, and is the largest of the electorates in terms of population.-History:...
, he pulled out mid-sentence, stating, "And the thing about that is, I guess, I was a public figure and I was put on the podium where I was just a person out there . . . I'm buggered, I'm sorry, I have to resign."
Subsequently, this incident led to the satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
Chaser
The Chaser
The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedian group, known for their television programmes on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation channel. The group take their name from their production of satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste...
team instituting the 'Mal Award' for their election television shows
The Chaser Decides
The Chaser Decides is a Logie Award-winning Australian political satire based comedy program produced by The Chaser. The show provides commentary on Australian federal elections and has been broadcast in 2001, 2004 and 2007 on ABC TV...
, presented to politicians "for the greatest act of political suicide during an election campaign". In an episode, which aired on 28 November 2007, Meninga satirized himself when he was brought in to present the award but "gave up" mid-speech.
Canberra
Meninga was appointed coach of the Raiders in 1997, succeeding three time winner Tim SheensTim Sheens
Tim Sheens is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He currently coaches the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League and in 2009 was appointed coach of the Australian national team, the Kangaroos...
, but achieved only moderate success. In 2000, Meninga was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal was an award given during 2000 to recognise achievements in Australian sport.Recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintained sporting facilities and services. Over 18,000 Medals were...
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league. The following year, he received the Centenary Medal
Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government...
"for service as a role model and inspiration as a rugby league player of the highest standard". After Canberra failed to make the finals of the 2001 NRL season, finishing fourth-last (11th out of 14 teams), Matthew Elliott replaced Meninga as the Raiders coach.
In late 2002, Meninga expressed interest in the Queensland State of Origin team
Queensland State of Origin Team
The Queensland rugby league team have represented the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1908...
coaching job.
Meninga left Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
and returned to Queensland in 2005, opening several successful businesses, including a fruit and vegetable wholesale business in the Brisbane Markets, and several Strathfield Car Sound outlets. In late 2005, he was announced as the new Queensland State of Origin coach, to replace Michael Hagan
Michael Hagan
Michael Hagan is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player. He currently works as assistant coach under Mal Meninga for the record-breaking Queensland rugby league team...
.
Queensland
Meninga made a successful debut as the Maroons coach in the 2006 State of Origin series, guiding Queensland to a 2–1 series victory, its first outright series victory since 2001 (this despite the fact Queensland lost the first match). Also in 2006, he coached the Prime Minister's XIIIPrime Minister's XIII
Prime Minister's XIII or the PM's XIII is the name of a representative rugby league team selected on an annual basis by the Prime Minister of Australia that consists of mainly young Australian players drawn from the National Rugby League competition to take on the Papua New Guinea national rugby...
side to victory over the Papua New Guinea Kumuls.
Meninga attended the 2007 Challenge Cup Final
2007 Challenge Cup Final
The 2007 Carnegie Challenge Cup featured teams from across Europe including England, Scotland, Wales, France and Russia. The final was played by the holders St Helens and Catalans Dragons at the new Wembley Stadium on the 25 August 2007. The Dragons were the first French club ever to take part in...
at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
as a guest of honour.
On 13 October 2006, Meninga was reappointed as coach of the Maroons for the 2007 State of Origin series and 2008 State of Origin series, both of which Queensland won, taking his record with the Maroons to three wins from three series. When Meninga was given a new contract after the 2008 series, he was quoted as saying: "I want to win six [State of Origin series] in a row".
In the 2009 series, Queensland won the first two games giving them a record fourth consecutive series win with captain Darren Lockyer
Darren Lockyer
Darren Lockyer is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He was the captain of the Australian national team, the Queensland State of Origin team and his National Rugby League club, the Brisbane Broncos. His professional career spanned between 1995 and 2011...
saying Meninga now stands among the legends in State of Origin.
In December 2009, Meninga was named coach of the year at the Queensland Sports Awards.
In 2010, Meninga coached Queensland to a record 5th straight series win, and is now regarded as one of the greatest and most successful Origin coaches in history. He also coached them to their first "Clean Sweep" since 1995. As well as this, he is the only coach in Origin history to have never lost more than one Origin series.
In 2011, Meninga achieved his 6th straight series as coach of Queensland honoring a promise he made in 2008.
The weekend after Queensland won its sixth straight series, Mal Meninga penned a column in Brisbane's The Sunday Mail attacking the NSW media and match review panel, and labelling them "filth and rats" after he believed that they [the NSW media] had tried to sabotage his side's attempts at winning their sixth successive series by charging Johnathan Thurston
Johnathan Thurston
Johnathan Dean Thurston is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer in the NRL with the North Queensland Cowboys whom he co-captains...
and David Taylor
David Taylor (rugby league)
Dave Taylor is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the South Sydney Rabbitohs of the National Rugby League...
with on-field incidents (only the latter was suspended) and also attacking NSW coach Ricky Stuart
Ricky Stuart
Ricky Stuart is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player of the 1980s and 90s. He is currently the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, having replaced Craig Bellamy following a fifth consecutive failure in the 2010 series...
(the last man to win an Origin series for the Blues) over his decision not to reveal the Blues line-up up to one hour before kick-off (which is when the official team lists must be released prior to a match). He was set to face legal action from the NRL's match review panel over his now controversial column, but after negotiations with them on the 1st of August 2011, the matter was resolved. Meninga still maintains what he has written.
Records
- Only player to twice captain a Kangaroo TourKangaroo TourKangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France. The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours took place every four years and involved a three-Test Ashes series against Great Britain and a number of tour matches...
(1990 and 19941994 Kangaroo TourThe 1994 Kangaroo Tour was the last played in the conventional format, where the Australian side plays a number of matches against British and French clubs or provincial outfits, in additions to the Test matches...
). - Most points scored in Test matches for Australia (272 – 21 tries, 96 goals)
- Most goals kicked in Test matches for Australia (96)
- Most goals kicked in a State of Origin match for Queensland (7 in Game 1 1980), shared with Johnathan ThurstonJohnathan ThurstonJohnathan Dean Thurston is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer in the NRL with the North Queensland Cowboys whom he co-captains...
- Most State of Origins won as coach in a row. 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 (6)
Honours
The main grandstand at Canberra StadiumCanberra Stadium
Canberra Stadium is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia...
is named the "Mal Meninga Stand" in his honour. The Canberra Raiders' player of the year receives the Mal Meninga Medal
Mal Meninga Medal
The Mal Meninga Medal is the name of the award that goes to the Canberra Raiders' Player of the Year. The award was named after former Raiders captain and coach, Mal Meninga and was first awarded in 2008. Before this there was no name for the award but was still awarded...
in his honour since 2008 and a statue of him has been placed behind the Mal Meninga grandstand next to the one of Laurie Daley
Laurie Daley
Laurie Daley OA is an Australian rugby league football commentator and former player of Indigenous Australian descent. He represented Australia on 26 occasions and has since been named as one of the nation's finest players of the 20th century...
.
In 2003, he was admitted into the Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
Hall of Fame.
In February 2008, Meninga was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
and ARL
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. Meninga went on to be named as one of the centres, along with Reg Gasnier
Reg Gasnier
Reg Gasnier AM is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach, regarded as one of the 20th century's finest players. He played in the centres for the St. George Dragons from 1959 to 1967...
, in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century
Australian Rugby League's Team of the Century
In late 2007, the Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League commissioned a college of 130 experts to select the 100 best rugby league players in the game's 100-year history in Australia...
. Announced on 17 April 2008, the team is the panels' majority choice for each of the thirteen starting positions and four interchange players.
In June 2008, he was chosen in the Queensland Rugby League's Team of the Century
Queensland Rugby League's Team of the Century
The Queensland Rugby League Team of the Century is a hypothetical team comprising the best players who have played for Queensland to form a team for 1909 until 2008. Rugby league in Queensland was initiated in 1909 with the Queensland Rugby Football League competition, which evolved into the...
at centre.