Mal Meninga has come out swinging against growing accusations that he’s not totally committed to leading the NRL’s expansion club in Perth, declaring that he’s all-in on the Bears and teasing fans with more “marquees in the making.”
The past Kangaroos and Queensland boss was named as the Bears’ inaugural coach when the NRL unveiled the team, with the league’s governing body hoping that he could stage a similar early-life run for the Western club as Wayne Bennett set up for Redcliffe. Recently, though, there’s been questions about whether Mal’s really the man for the job.
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In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald after the accusations started bubbling up, Meninga was pointed: He has a vision for rugby league in Western Australia, he plans to make marquee signings, and he’s not going anywhere.
“It upsets me and disappoints me in a way,” Meninga said in his first interview in months.
“I know I haven’t been out and said anything – because I’m not that type of person. I’m doing this for the right reasons. Everyone in this organisation is doing it for the right reasons. We want to leave our legacy piece. I’ve said from the beginning: ‘Why am I doing this? Why do I want to go back into coaching and put myself through this?’
“It’s all about legacy, honestly. I don’t have any other deep reason why. Yes, there have been rumours I get paid well, but it’s beyond what you get paid. It’s using my experience and my love of the game and my profile in the game.”
Meninga said he had one reason for taking up the gig, which will become a formal coaching role in 2027 — he wants to leave rugby league in a “better place” than when he started his playing career, and for him now, that looks to be building Perth into a long-term club that can compete in the league, grow the game, and bring WA into the competition fold.
“We want to build respect in the community over here. They’re the reasons why I do it. I don’t need to protect who I am, what I’ve done or why I’m doing it,” he said, before adding that there have been some hiccups and “conflict” as he works on that.
“What startup business, industry, or organisation doesn’t have conflict… differences of opinion?” Meninga said.
“I know it’s disappointing from my point of view, but I move on,” he said, on the early troubles. “You’ve got to move on, because of my ‘why?’ Those things you have to contend with, you have to reflect on, you have to grow from it.”
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The biggest forward-facing issue for the Bears has been recruitment. While the team does have an 18-man roster, including Toby Sexton, Scott Sorensen, Tyran Wishart, Nick Meaney, Siosifa Talakai, and Josh Curran, many would argue the Western expansion doesn’t have a top, top player yet — and that only became more stark after Jarome Luai joined PNG.
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Meninga hit back at that, too, telling the SMH that he’s very happy with how the playing list has been coming together. “I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m really happy with where I am, as far as the club is,” he said.
“I believe in the players, I believe we’re gathering up a strong, deep roster.
“We get criticised because of [a lack of a] marquee, but it doesn’t mean I’m wrong or our team is wrong in our decision-making.”
