RLWC: Mal Meninga wants schedule sorted before committing to Kangaroos future
Mal Meninga is off contract at the end of next year, and his status as coach of the Kangaroos hinges on an important decision.
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Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has implored global powerbrokers to map out a plan for international rugby league and revealed that his future at the helm of the national side is likely to hinge on whether he is excited by where they land.
The Kangaroos have an uncertain future beyond the World Cup, with no concrete plans in place for next year let alone the next five. There have been suggestions Australia will play at least one Test against New Zealand at the end of 2023, although the International Rugby League has been working on a more comprehensive schedule designed to capitalise on the success of the World Cup.
Meninga is waiting on some clarity before deciding what his future holds. He is off contract at the end of next year and has the support of ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys to continue in the role beyond that.
However, he insists he is in no rush to make a call as he waits to see the plans for international rugby league.
“What is really important after all this is that international rugby league, the NRL and English Super League sit down and work on a schedule,” Meninga said.
“There has to be a five-year schedule. Everyone has to understand what that schedule is so that you can sell the assets as well.
“People can know what is coming up. People understand within that schedule that there are tournaments, there are Test matches, things you can do for your country.
“We need to know what it is. I hope people like myself are involved in those conversations because I have been around a while and understand what the international game is.
“We need to come up with a program that is really exciting and going to take our international game to greater heights.”
Asked whether his future as Kangaroos coach could hinge on the outcome, Meninga said: “Absolutely — I want to be excited by it too. I want to be excited because we keep talking about how important it is.
“Let’s do something about it. There is a great thirst for it. They have done a good job (at the World Cup). That comes back to the players and the games, and the way they carry themselves.
“It is not a beef — we just need to understand what it looks like.”
There is no doubt there is an appetite among the players to play more Test football. They have relished being back in the green and gold fold after a long absence brought on by the impact of Covid-19.
It cost some of the game’s best players two years of international football, leaving them to make up for lost time at the World Cup.
“Representing your country is up there with the highest honour you can have in this game,” Kangaroos forward Cameron Murray said.
“I know everyone loves representing their country. If we can find a balance moving forward, I would love to continually put myself in the debate to represent my country.”
Murray would also like to see Meninga remain in charge, lauding the Kangaroos coach for the way he was able to bring the squad together and inculcate them in the Australian way.
“I am a big fan of Mal,” Murray said.
“He is a great coach, I love what he brings, I love the culture stuff. I am really grateful I have been able to experience a lot of great coaches in my time and Mal is right up there.
“He makes it known how special the jersey is and how special it is to represent Australia and ourselves.”
REVEALED: THE PLAN TO GROW RUGBY LEAGUE
Samoa and Tonga have held high-level talks about playing Tests against each other in their respective homelands next season as the International Rugby League puts the finishing touches on a 10-year plan designed to capitalise on the success of the World Cup.
News Corp can reveal that RLIF boss Troy Grant has also held talks with the head honchos of global sports giant IMG as he seeks their support for an international calendar that will help foster the sport’s growth.
IMG recently bought a stake in the English Super League with designs on growing rugby league in Europe. At the heart of that plan was a desire to foster the international game, having identified it as an area where the game could make significant headway.
Grant was tightlipped on the outcome of those talks but it is understood the International Rugby League is piecing together a plan for the next decade which would see regular Test matches for the Kangaroos, England, New Zealand and the Pacific Island nations.
The first year of that decade-long cycle would be next year, with plans to potentially hold a Test match in either Samoa or Tonga - or both - with the aim of building on their success at the World Cup.
That would come with the backing of the respective camps after Samoa coach Matt Parish revealed he and Tonga coach Kristian Woolf had held talks about playing a pair of matches in their respective nations.
“Kristian and I have been talking for a couple of years now about one of the things we would both like to do is play a Test in Tonga and a Test in Samoa against one another,” Parish said.
“I would like to think that one day it might happen. That would be unreal for Tonga and Samoa (to play next year).
“I can’t imagine how crazy that would be and how unreal it would be. Not only that, I am sure that both sets of players would love to do that.
“You talk about leaving legacies and all that. That would be unbelievable.”
The Kangaroos are contracted to play a Test match in the southern hemisphere against New Zealand but they are expected to also take part in other games featuring the Pacific Island sides.
ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys is a longstanding supporter of the international game and recently joined the IRL board.
“Australia is extremely supportive of the Pacific and we want to grow the Pacific, and the international game,” V’landys said.
“We have always said that but it has to be done in the right way. It has to be done in a way that doesn’t affect the integrity of the NRL competition.
“But we are the strongest supporters of the international game - the commission as a whole.”
At least one of the southern hemisphere powerhouses is also likely to travel to the northern hemisphere to make sure England and France have some reasonable competition.
The international body is well aware of the need to strengthen the game in the northern hemisphere leading into the 2025 World Cup in France.
PRIDE AND PASSIONFRUIT: THE ORIGINS OF SAMOA’S CUP COUP
The seed was planted for one of the biggest coups in World Cup history in the backyard of a western Sydney home over platters of fruit and a power point presentation.
In early-May, Samoan coach Matt Parish caught up with a handful of Penrith players at the home of former Panthers assistant coach Andrew Webster.
While Webster’s wife laid out lashings of fruit, Parish outlined his vision for Samoa to the likes of Jarome Luai, Brian To’o and Stephen Crichton.
Over more than an hour, he showed them a power point presentation where he explained what the Samoan side would look like if they pledged their commitment to the Pacific island nation.
He gave them a glimpse of the World Cup draw and explained how their tournament would play out if they qualified for the NRL grand final, leaving them precious-little time to get up to speed with their teammates.
He laid his cards on the table and floated an idea which has flourished into one of the most remarkable tales in the World Cup. Those 90 minutes may be the most important in Samoan rugby league history.
“We had a meeting out at Andrew Webster’s place,” Parish said.
“He was helping me. This was in early May. I told them about our plans for the World Cup at the end of the year but obviously they had Origin and competitions to win.
“We had a Pacific test for those who didn’t make Origin. The other boys went on to play Origin. Then I left it at that.
“They knew what was coming at the end of the year and it was up to them to make the decision.”
Parish acknowledged it wasn’t a hard sell. To many of the players, the opportunity to represent the land of their heritage sold itself.
“Webby had been talking to them briefly about it because he coached them at Penrith,” Parish said.
“We sat around and I had a power point of what the team could look like, where we were staying, our draw.
“I laid all the information out – these are the cards. There was no great sales pitch. It was just the truth of what it could look like and when after the grand final this is what is happening.
“If you make the grand final, you go on this day. If you don’t, you go this way.”
Parish found out on social media that some were going to play for Samoa. Others, like captain Junior Paulo, called him personally to inform him of their plans.
Paulo had spoken to Parish before the Origin series but he wanted to focus on his NSW commitments before he made the ultimate decision.
Parish insists he always had faith that the players would jump on board. He knew how much it meant to them to play for Samoa – their passion for the jersey and their island has been one of the highlights of the World Cup.
“I was always confident, particularly with Jarome [Luai],” Parish said.
“He is a proud Samoan, very proud. I was confident but again, it became their choice. The guys have sacrificed so much – money, family.
“Jarome is over here and has a newborn kid [at home]. He has left his wife and three children. Brian’s partner is arranging their wedding – he is getting married in early December.
“All these guys have left their family. I just admire what they have done. These Penrith boys have been up for so long – they won a grand final and we are trying to squeeze this out of them.
“It is great the dominoes all fell right for us.”
INSIDE SAMOA’S CELEBRATIONS AND PLOT TO SHOCK KANGAROOS
The plotting began in a raucous dressing room at Emirates Stadium only moments after Samoa shook up rugby league’s established world order.
They sang, they celebrated and they said a prayer. They thanked each other, they thanked God … and they started planning a second miracle in seven days.
They did it with a smile on their face and a twinkle in their eye. It was all captured on the phone of prop Marty Taupau, who missed the game with injury but shared the euphoria on social media.
It was a window into Samoa’s world. A world that has inspired a nation and breathed life into international rugby league, the poor cousin to the NRL but riding the crest of a wave thanks to the tiny island that upset Tonga and then England.
After the prayers were complete and Samoan officials had their say, the dressing room was handed over to captain Junior Paulo.
“I don’t know if I have the words to describe how much it means,” Paulo said.
“We’re all here because of the blessings and prayers that are going on around the world — Australia, Brisbane, you can name every city around the world. Every single Samoan around the world is going to be proud of what we achieved.
“It was always going to be tough when a lot of critics were against us but we always said the only thing that matters is the people in this room.
“That was going to be the only thing that carries us throughout this tournament. I said it before, That belief never changed right – from the get-go, from the first day we came into camp together.
“The win tonight is overwhelming but never forget the impact we have had on the world, don’t forget the impact we have had on those people around the world who have never met us but have supported us right from the get-go.
“They have never forgotten about us and now we have one more week to enjoy everything together. Enjoy spending time, enjoy the win and enjoy waking up tomorrow like this.”
Then it was coach Matt Parish’s turn.
“I see so much inspiration, pride and passion from everyone ..... to make all of this happen,” Parish said.
“It is special so enjoy it – enjoy this week, enjoy tonight, let’s make the most of this opportunity. I am happy it is not over.”
As Paulo and Parish were leading the celebrations in the dressing room, Samoan fans spilled onto the streets.
They have been riding the crest of an unlikely wave when you consider Samoa were beaten by nearly 60 points in their opening game.
That result prompted lashings of doom and gloom, although not in the Samoan camp. They, Parish and Paulo insist, never lost the faith.
They knew the World Cup was about the destination as much as the journey. In other words Old Trafford, where they will arrive on Saturday night (AEDT) given little hope of knocking off Australia, Then again, few gave them a chance against England.
Only the true believers thought they had a chance. The very same people who have celebrated their success by streaming on to the streets around the world and waving Samoan flags.
It means so much to so many.
“It inspires us a lot,” centre Stephen Crichton said.
“We see a lot of videos on social media coming out to us. Our coach shows us a lot of videos before the game. It just motivates the boys and gives us a lot of love and support.
“This is what we strive for, to put our little country on the map. I think we’ve done that. I don’t know about the other boys but I definitely took my decision [to play for Samoa] by heart and this is the whole reason for it.
“Australia and the NRL has given me a massive opportunity to represent my family and the first World Cup, I think I owe it back to my mum and dad and my grandmother back in Samoa.”
It’s a theme that is shared among the squad. They fee a deep connection to their heritage, their desire to represent Samoa summed up by teenage fullback Joseph Suaalii’s decision to pledge his allegiance to the country rather than Australia.
Suaalii has been a giant for Samoa. He ran for more than 200 metres against England as he continued to showcase the talent that has made him one of the code’s most valuable commodities.
Suallii, though, hasn’t forgotten where he came from. Long after the Samoan celebrations were over in the dressing sheds, he was captured on camera sweeping the floors.
Still with a smile on his face.
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Originally published as RLWC: Mal Meninga wants schedule sorted before committing to Kangaroos future
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