Proud South Sea Islander Mal Meninga has been unveiled as the inaugural Perth Bears NRL coach.
Last month it was announced the West Australian outfit would join the NRL in 2027 as the league’s 18th franchise, taking on the famous name of the defunct North Sydney Bears.
On Friday it was revealed the 64-year-old will step down from his role as head coach of the Kangaroos – the men’s national team – and take charge of the Bears effective immediately.
"It's a great privilege and responsibility I've been given to be one of the leaders in the formation of the club, and I'm looking forward getting to stuck into the work," Meninga said of his appointment.
Perth Bears CEO Anthony De Ceglie (left) shakes hands with Mal Meninga following a press conference on Friday. Source: AAP / BIANCA DE MARCHI/AAPIMAGE
That's not to mention his credentials as a coach, having steered Canberra to two NRL Premierships, Queensland to 9 Origin Series wins, and most recently overseeing Australia to 26 wins from 29 Tests.
"Mal is not just an immortal of the NRL, but an immortal of the Australian sporting landscape," Bears chief executive Anthony De Ceglie said.
"He is an icon whose leadership qualities such as courage, honesty and hard work are rightly renowned across the country."
But it was off the pitch that he truly endeared himself to the nation.
Growing up in Queensland, Meninga’s South Sea Islander heritage was not something that was spoken about often.
"The South Sea Island heritage to me is who I am [but it's] a difficult story to tell.
"None of the Elders used to talk about it too much," Meninga told SBS back in 2016.
Revealing his great-grand father Edward Meninga was brought to Australia in the late 1800’s as part of the policy now known as ‘blackbirding’ – illegally keeping South Sea Islander men on farms in Queensland to work as cheap labour.
That history, and the close relationship between mob and South Sea Islanders, helped shape Meninga’s bond with our Indigenous Rugby League community.
One that Over The Black Dot’s Timana Tahu says goes beyond what makes the headlines.
“He’s been a really big supporter of Indigenous pathways and initiatives, especially for the Indigenous All Stars.
"We’ve never had Indigenous coaches at the senior representative level since the late great Arthur Beetson and he championed to change that.
“He looks at the fairness of everything and wants to push Indigenous issues into the Kangaroos too.
When he was coach of the Kangaroos he was constantly embedding culture into everything.”
His support for First Nations Australians also extending into politics. In 2023 on the eve of the Referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, Meninga publicly called for a ‘yes’ vote.
“I feel this is about acknowledging First Nations people, enshrining it in the constitution,” Meninga said.
“They say that politics and sport shouldn’t mix, but I just don’t think this is a political issue. It’s a human issue around all Australians.”
