Mal Meninga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mal Meninga
AM

Personal information
Full name	Malcolm Norman Meninga
Born	(1960-07-08) 8 July 1960 (age 64) Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia
Height	184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	107 kg (236 lb; 16 st 12 lb)
Playing information
Position	Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1979–85 Southern Suburbs 109 78 314 0 894 1984–85 St Helens 31 28 8 0 128 1986–94 Canberra Raiders 166 74 283 2 864 Total 306 180 605 2 1886 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1979–85 Brisbane 23 8 52 0 130 1981 South Queensland 1 5 9 0 33 1979–94 Queensland 32 6 69 0 161 1982–94 Australia 46 21 96 0 272 1988 President's XIII 1 1 2 0 8
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 1997–01 Canberra Raiders 125 66 57 53 Representative Years Team Gms W D L W% 2005–12 Prime Minister's XIII 8 7 0 88 2006–15 Queensland 30 20 10 67 2014–15 Papua New Guinea 2 1 1 50 2015 PNG PM's XIII 1 0 1 0 2016– Australia 28 25 3 89 2016–23 Prime Minister's XIII 6 6 0 100 2017 World All Stars 1 0 1 0
As of 18 October 2024

Malcolm Norman Meninga, born on 8 July 1960, is a famous Australian rugby league coach and former player. Many people think he is one of the best players ever in the sport. He played for a long time in Australia and England, mostly as a goal-kicking centre. After he stopped playing, Meninga became a very successful coach. He is currently the head coach of the Australian national team.

During his playing days, Meninga set many rugby league records. He played the most games for the Australian national team. He also scored the most points in State of Origin history. He has received many honours, including being named a Member of the Order of Australia. He is also in the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame. He was even chosen for both Queensland's and Australia's "Teams of the Century."

Meninga is the only player to be picked for four Kangaroo Tours. These tours were in 1982, 1986, 1990, and 1994. He played in every test match against Great Britain and France on all four tours. He is also the only player to be captain on two Kangaroo Tours (1990 and 1994). He was part of the undefeated 1982 and 1986 tours, known as 'the Invincibles' and 'the Unbeatables'.

As a coach, he started with the Canberra Raiders. Later, he coached Queensland to win nine State of Origin titles between 2006 and 2015. In 2016, he became the coach of Australia. He led the Kangaroos to win the 2017 and 2021 World Cups. In 2018, Meninga was named the 13th Immortal, a very special honour in rugby league.

Early Life and Beginnings

Meninga was born in Bundaberg, Queensland. His father had South Sea Island heritage, and his mother was Australian. His dad, Norman Meninga, also played rugby league.

Mal went to Maroochydore State High School. He later joined the Queensland Police Service and worked as an officer until 1985. While in the police force, Meninga met Wayne Bennett. Bennett was also a police officer and became an important mentor for Mal.

Playing Career Highlights

Meninga captained Australia in 23 Test matches from 1990 to 1994. He also captained the Queensland State of Origin team for three years. He is the only player to captain two Kangaroo tours.

Playing for Brisbane

Mal Meninga's statue at Lang Park

Meninga started playing top-level rugby league at 18 for Southern Suburbs in Brisbane. In 1979, he played for Brisbane. The next year, he helped Queensland win the first-ever State of Origin game against New South Wales. He kicked seven goals in that game, which was on his 20th birthday.

In 1981, Meninga helped Souths win the BRL Grand Final. In 1982, he played his first Test match for Australia against New Zealand. Later that year, he went on the undefeated 1982 Kangaroos tour of Europe. This team was called "The Invincibles" because they won every game. Meninga was the top point scorer on that tour. His size and strength made him very hard to tackle.

Time with St Helens

After his great performances on the 1982 Kangaroo tour, English clubs wanted Meninga. He signed with St Helens for the 1984–85 season. He helped them win the Premiership. He scored two memorable tries in the Premiership Final, helping St Helens win 36–16. Even though he only played one season, he became a legend in England.

Success with Canberra Raiders

Mal Meninga's statue at Canberra Stadium

In 1986, Meninga joined the Canberra Raiders in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership. He became the team captain. In 1989, he led Canberra to their first premiership, beating the Balmain Tigers in extra time. This was a big moment as they were the first non-Sydney team to win the premiership.

At the end of the 1990 NSWRL season, Meninga led the Raiders to another Grand Final win against the Penrith Panthers. He was also the top try-scorer and point-scorer that year. He became captain of the 1990 Kangaroos. This was his third Kangaroo Tour, and he was the first player to captain two of them. On this tour, he scored a famous try against Great Britain, helping Australia win a close game. He also became the first rugby league player to win Britain's BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year.

Meninga continued to play well, leading Australia to series wins. In 1992, he played his 37th Test match for Australia, breaking the record. He also captained Australia to win the World Cup final at Wembley Stadium in London.

In 1994, Meninga played his last game for the Canberra Raiders. He led his team to victory in the 1994 Grand Final, their third premiership in six years. He scored the final try of the match, a fitting end to his club career.

He went on his fourth and final Kangaroo Tour in 1994, again as captain. Australia won the series against Great Britain. On 4 December 1994, Meninga captained Australia to a huge 74–0 win over France, scoring the last try of his amazing career. He played 46 games for Australia, scoring 278 points. Australia did not lose a Test series while he was playing for them.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Mal Meninga supported the Super League competition. In 1995, he released his book, Mal Meninga: My Life in Football.

Coaching the Canberra Raiders

Meninga became the coach of his old club, the Canberra Raiders, in 1997. He coached them for a few years. In 2001, he left the Raiders coaching role.

Leading the Prime Minister's XIII

From 2005 to 2012, Meninga coached the Australian Prime Minister's XIII team. He had a great record, winning 7 out of 8 matches.

Queensland State of Origin Coach

Meninga (left) collecting his medal after the 2016 Four Nations Final

In 2005, Meninga became the new coach for the Queensland State of Origin team. He had a very successful start, guiding Queensland to a 2–1 series victory in 2006. This was their first series win since 2001.

Meninga continued to lead Queensland to win the State of Origin series year after year. In 2009, Queensland won their fourth series in a row, a new record. In 2010, he coached them to a fifth straight win and their first "clean sweep" (winning all three games) since 2000.

In 2011, Meninga achieved his sixth straight series win as coach of Queensland. He continued this amazing run, winning eight consecutive series with Queensland by 2013. This is a record for State of Origin coaching. His winning streak ended in 2014, but in 2015, he coached Queensland to their ninth series win in ten years. They won the deciding game with a huge 52–6 victory.

Coaching Australia

Meninga (right) as the Head Coach of Australia

On 2 December 2015, Meninga was chosen as the head coach of the Australian national rugby league team. This meant he had to stop coaching Queensland. He wanted to make international rugby league the most important part of the sport again.

In 2017, Meninga coached the Australian team to win the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. He also led Australia to victory in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup final against Samoa.

Meninga coaching Australia in 2022

Meninga after winning the 2021 RLWC Final

Other Activities

Meninga briefly ran for election as an independent politician in 2001.

Personal Life

Meninga has been married twice and has children from both marriages. He also has a daughter from England whom he met later in life.

Amazing Achievements and Honours

• He is the only player to go on four Kangaroo Tours (1982, 1986, 1990, and 1994).
• He is the only player to captain a Kangaroo Tour twice (1990 and 1994).
• He used to hold the record for most points scored and goals kicked in Test matches for Australia.
• He holds the record for most State of Origin series won in a row as a coach (8 series from 2006–2013).

Meninga is seen as an important voice for the South Sea Islander community. The main grandstand at Canberra Stadium is named the "Mal Meninga Stand" in his honour. The Canberra Raiders' best player each year receives the Mal Meninga Medal. There is also a statue of him at Canberra Stadium.

He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2003, he joined the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame. In 2008, he was named one of Australia's 100 Greatest Players. He was also chosen as one of the centres in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century. In 2008, he was picked for the Queensland Rugby League's Team of the Century.

In 2009, Mal Meninga was named one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for his role as a "sports legend." In 2016, he received a Queensland Greats Awards. On 1 August 2018, Meninga was announced as one of The Immortals, a very high honour in rugby league.

Playing Statistics

Season	Team	Matches	T	G	F/G	Pts
1979	Southern Suburbs	19	9	76	0	179
1980	Southern Suburbs	22	17	97	0	245
1981†	Southern Suburbs	20	14	46	0	134
1982	Southern Suburbs	11	6	26	0	70
1983	Southern Suburbs	10	8	28	0	88
1984	Southern Suburbs	19	18	41	0	154
1984-85	St Helens	31	28	8	0	128
1985†	Southern Suburbs	8	6	0	0	24
1986	Canberra	20	3	65	1	143
1987	Canberra	12	6	34	1	93
1988	Canberra	5	3	7	0	26
1989†	Canberra	16	2	19	0	46
1990†	Canberra	24	17	72	0	212
1991	Canberra	22	13	57	0	166
1992	Canberra	21	6	17	0	58
1993	Canberra	20	11	4	0	52
1994†	Canberra	26	13	8	0	68
Career totals		306	180	605	2	1886

Images for kids

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  Mal Meninga meeting school students in Papua New Guinea in 2005

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  Meninga (right) with Adrian Lam during his time as coach of the Prime Minister's XIII in 2012

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  Meninga in 2001