Mal Meninga

A rugby league 'Immortal', who became a household name, wherever the game is followed, Mal Meninga’s extraordinary senior career started with Souths Magpies in the Brisbane competition.

A mountain of a man, Meninga was fast and incredibly agile. His rise to stardom began with his 1979 first grade debut at Souths, and he played in six grand finals with the club, winning premierships in 1981 and 1985. He also had a successful stint with English club, St Helens during that time.

Meninga, who has a South Sea Island background, joined Canberra Raiders in 1986, and helped transform the “Green Machine” into a rugby league powerhouse, with 'big Mal' contesting five grand finals with the club.

He was captain in four of those matches, beginning with the club's inaugural premiership in 1989. The Raiders won again in 1990 and 1994, with Meninga scoring a try in the 1994 win over Canterbury, his farewell to club football.

Meninga is an ornament to the game. Leader, advocate, mentor, role model, he represents the best of what rugby league offers.

Ben Ikin FOG #89

Meninga’s dominance wasn’t just restricted to club level though, becoming a cornerstone of Queensland and Australian teams for 14 years as eventual captain for both.

Meninga wasn’t done with rugby league however, becoming coach of Canberra before starting the most dominant coaching reign in Origin history with his beloved Maroons.

He was a cornerstone of Queensland and Australian teams, succeeding Wally Lewis as skipper of both the Queensland and Australian teams. He is the only man to have made four, full-scale Kangaroo tours of Britain and France, two as captain.

He coached Canberra from 1997 to 2001, and then in 2006 accepted the Queensland coaching role, taking the Maroons to nine series wins in 10 years, the most dominant coaching reign in Origin history.

In 2020, he answered the call from coach, Wayne Bennett, and joined his staff for the Maroons' against-the-odds series win over the Blues.

Meninga has been Australian coach since 2016, with the Kangaroos winning 15 of their 17 matches in that time.