Mal Meninga launches passionate defence of under fire Billy Slater, says Aaron Woods crossed the line

Triple M stablemates Aaron Woods and Gorden Tallis are pulling no punches ahead of Origin II, as another Queensland legend joins the war of words, backing under fire Maroons coach Billy Slater.

NRL Immortal Mal Meninga has taken aim at Aaron Woods and backed Queensland coach Billy Slater over his verbal spat with the ex-NSW prop that has ignited an Origin firestorm.

In an extraordinary build-up to Origin II, Slater made another media appearance on match morning at Queensland’s team hotel in Perth to publicly apologise to Paul Green’s family following his comments at the official press conference on Tuesday.

Slater was hitting back at being called a “grub” by ex-NSW prop Woods, saying that sort of “degrading” attack could have affected Queensland’s “last coach” Green, who took his life in August 2022.

Slater has since come under fire for referencing Green, but he found an ally in his former Queensland Origin coach Meninga, who said the legendary Maroons fullback didn’t deserve to be disrespected by Woods.

“I know what Billy is getting at,” Meninga said on radio SEN.

“It was a personal attack by ‘Woodsy’ ... Billy played with Woodsy in the Australian team on tours and things like that.

“I get it. I understand it. There is a responsibility (as a media commentator).

“(But) to call someone a grub is a personal attack, it’s an attack on him as an individual and I don’t agree with it.

ORIGIN II: Live Game day coverage

Mal Meninga says Billy Slater had the right to respond to Aaron Woods’ attack.

“I’m in Billy’s boat here.”

New Perth Bears coach Meninga said Woods was out of line using the word “grub” and he lamented the off-field war of words, saying State of Origin should be about on-field confrontations.

“It does have an effect on people in different ways,” he said.

“You don’t have to do that to attract attention in my opinion.

“Origin is it’s own beast and it’s gone way outside the game itself which is not where we want it to be.

“We want the game to be the focal point. A tiff between two people is not the way we want to talk about Origin.

“I go back and played in another era.

“I don’t want to be called a grub, I want to be called a great player and have the respect of those around me, particularly the opposition.

“A grub is a pretty tough term because we understand it’s meant in a derogatory way.

“It was tough when I played, it was man-on-man and you had to bite the bullet and keep on going.

“But it (personal slurs) still does hurt deep down.

“If you don’t take it personally, you don’t have too many emotions in my mind.”

WOODS, TALLIS EXCHANGE BARBS

- Michael Carayannis and Brent Read

The interstate war of words between Triple M stablemates Aaron Woods and Gorden Tallis has continued with Woods firing back at Tallis.

The two came face to face last Wednesday on NRL 360 after Woods described Queensland coach Billy Slater as a “grub”.

Tallis was critical of Woods during his Sunday show on Triple M where the former Maroons captain said Woods had been sacked from six clubs.

“He wasn’t that brave when he was a player, he’s braver on the mic,” Tallis said of Woods.

Woods took exception to Tallis saying that his son had taken a recent photo with Slater.

“When your spokesman is Gorden Tallis that’s when you know you’re in trouble,” Woods said on his Triple M breakfast show on Wednesday morning alongside Beau Ryan and Cat Lynch.

“He said my son got a photo with Billy Slater. My son doesn’t know who Billy Slater is.

“If you’re going to get your information correct – maybe say the right stuff.

“We don’t call him the raging bull in our house any more – it is the raging something else.”

ORIGIN II: Live Game day coverage

Woods was talking with Channel 9 Today Show host Karl Stefanovic when he let fly at Tallis. Stefanovic and Woods have made a bet based around Origin II. The loser has to swim naked at Bondi Beach on Friday.

Stefanovic tried to bait Woods but highlighted Tallis’ comments before the former Kangaroos and NSW prop bit back.

Originally published as Mal Meninga launches passionate defence of under fire Billy Slater, says Aaron Woods crossed the line