Mal Meninga AM

Mal Meninga is regarded as one of the all-time greats of Australian sport holding a special place in the hearts and minds of rugby league followers not only in Australia, but also on an International scale. Born in Bundaberg and taught to play rugby league by his father, Mal Meninga grew to represent all that is best in sport. It is a remarkable achievement that by the end of his playing career, Mal was the most capped Test player (45 caps) in the game’s history and the most capped State of Origin player (32 caps). Mal also has scored the most points in both test (72) and State of Origin football (161). He was honoured with an Order of Australia in 1994 and in 1995 won the Australian Achiever of the Year. He played in an unprecedented four Kangaroos tours, including two as captain, made eleven grand final appearances and played in over 400 First Grade matches. He has won a number of outstanding awards over his career including Centre of the Year (1991), Captain of the Year (1991), Adidas Golden Boot Award for the Best Player in the World (1990), and was the Sports Tourism Ambassador for the Year (1993). In 1997 he took over the role as Head Coach of the Canberra Raiders.   RUGBY LEAGUE Born: 8 July 1960 Inducted: 2000   Full member