Mal Meninga has done it all in the world of Rugby League. His playing career spanned 16 years, two hemispheres and 3 clubs. He spent 1979-85 at Souths in Brisbane before heading to St Helens for a season where he scored 38 tries in 31 matches. In 1986 he came to Canberra and helped establish the ACT based club by attracting other big name players to the inland city. He went on to play 166 matches for the Raiders, scoring 74 tries and 283 goals. The Raiders won the Premiership in 89, 90 and 94 under his captaincy.
Representative honours went hand in hand with Meninga’s career. He played from 1979-94 for Queensland and Australia from 1982-94 including three Kangaroo tours. He captained his country in 23 matches.
Soon after completing his playing days Meninga stepped in to coaching. He steered the Raiders through 1997-01 before taking the reins in the head role at Queensland. Meninga guided the Maroons through their ‘dynasty’ period from 2006 to 15. In 2016 he coached Papua New Guinea before landing the Australian Head Coach role in 2016. In 2017 he was at the helm for the World All Stars team.
Mal will be heading to Harden on April 29 where the Hawks will be hosting a special function in his honour. Dinner will be a Chicken and Prawn spread where guests will be able to listen to Mal talk about his playing days as well as time spent in his various coaching roles for Canberra, Queensland and Australia.
Tickets will be $40. A Bar will be available and the evening is strictly no BYO. The Hawks will have some auction items up for grabs on the night. The twin towns are very lucky to have Mal Meninga come and support local Rugby League as he is flying out to be with the Australian side the following day. Harden will be hosting Crookwell at McLean Oval earlier in the day and it will no doubt be a great prelude for a great night out.
Ticket enquiries to Jody Pollard on 0448 132 232
