Latest news with #ex-Kangaroos
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Rugby league legend Mal Meninga set to be inaugural coach of NRL expansion club Perth
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — The National Rugby League's newest team will have one of its oldest coaches when it begins play in 2027. Australia head coach and ex-Kangaroos and Queensland Origin star Mal Meninga was unveiled Friday as the Perth Bears ' inaugural head coach. The 64-year-old Meninga signed a three-year contract with the new franchise, meaning he could be 69 when his contract expires in 2030. NRL coaching great Wayne Bennett — now in charge at the South Sydney Rabitohs — is the oldest coach at the sport's elite level at 75. Craig Bellamy, who is 65, confirmed this week that he will continue coaching the Melbourne Storm into his 24th consecutive year next season. Meninga is one of the most decorated players and coaches in rugby league history, having coached Canberra (1997-2001) and Queensland (2006-2015) after playing 46 test and World Cup matches for Australia's Kangaroos, 32 State of Origin matches for Queensland and captaining the Raiders to three national titles. Before becoming Kangaroos coach in 2016, Meninga led the Queensland Maroons to their most successful period in Origin history, winning nine of his 10 series in charge. Meninga will relinquish his Australia national team coaching duties later this year in order to have 18 months to begin putting together the Bears' initial lineup of players. 'This is bigger than me,' Meninga said Friday. 'This new pioneering venture over to WA (Western Australia) and the opportunity to be involved in the growth of the game, to grow a club — the Perth Bears — is too good to refuse. I feel very honored, very nervous, and I think it's a huge responsibility.' The sport's premier competition originated in Sydney but has expanded to include a team in New Zealand, a team in the Australian capital, Canberra, a team in the Victoria state capital, Melbourne, and four teams in Queensland state. Perth Bears will enter the NRL from Australia's west coast before a team from rugby league-mad neighboring Pacific country Papua New Guinea, which is due to join in 2028 and make it a 19-team competition. The league's ambition is a 20-team format.
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Rugby league legend Mal Meninga set to be inaugural coach of NRL expansion club Perth
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — The National Rugby League's newest team will have one of its oldest coaches when it begins play in 2027. Australia head coach and ex-Kangaroos and Queensland Origin star Mal Meninga was unveiled Friday as the Perth Bears ' inaugural head coach. The 64-year-old Meninga signed a three-year contract with the new franchise, meaning he could be 69 when his contract expires in 2030. NRL coaching great Wayne Bennett — now in charge at the South Sydney Rabitohs — is the oldest coach at the sport's elite level at 75. Craig Bellamy, who is 65, confirmed this week that he will continue coaching the Melbourne Storm into his 24th consecutive year next season. Meninga is one of the most decorated players and coaches in rugby league history, having coached Canberra (1997-2001) and Queensland (2006-2015) after playing 46 test and World Cup matches for Australia's Kangaroos, 32 State of Origin matches for Queensland and captaining the Raiders to three national titles. Before becoming Kangaroos coach in 2016, Meninga led the Queensland Maroons to their most successful period in Origin history, winning nine of his 10 series in charge. Meninga will relinquish his Australia national team coaching duties later this year in order to have 18 months to begin putting together the Bears' initial lineup of players. 'This is bigger than me,' Meninga said Friday. 'This new pioneering venture over to WA (Western Australia) and the opportunity to be involved in the growth of the game, to grow a club — the Perth Bears — is too good to refuse. I feel very honored, very nervous, and I think it's a huge responsibility.' The sport's premier competition originated in Sydney but has expanded to include a team in New Zealand, a team in the Australian capital, Canberra, a team in the Victoria state capital, Melbourne, and four teams in Queensland state. Perth Bears will enter the NRL from Australia's west coast before a team from rugby league-mad neighboring Pacific country Papua New Guinea, which is due to join in 2028 and make it a 19-team competition. The league's ambition is a 20-team format. ___ AP sports:
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Rugby league legend Mal Meninga set to be inaugural coach of NRL expansion club Perth
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — The National Rugby League's newest team will have one of its oldest coaches when it begins play in 2027. Australia head coach and ex-Kangaroos and Queensland Origin star Mal Meninga was unveiled Friday as the Perth Bears ' inaugural head coach. The 64-year-old Meninga signed a three-year contract with the new franchise, meaning he could be 69 when his contract expires in 2030. NRL coaching great Wayne Bennett — now in charge at the South Sydney Rabitohs — is the oldest coach at the sport's elite level at 75. Craig Bellamy, who is 65, confirmed this week that he will continue coaching the Melbourne Storm into his 24th consecutive year next season. Meninga is one of the most decorated players and coaches in rugby league history, having coached Canberra (1997-2001) and Queensland (2006-2015) after playing 46 test and World Cup matches for Australia's Kangaroos, 32 State of Origin matches for Queensland and captaining the Raiders to three national titles. Before becoming Kangaroos coach in 2016, Meninga led the Queensland Maroons to their most successful period in Origin history, winning nine of his 10 series in charge. Meninga will relinquish his Australia national team coaching duties later this year in order to have 18 months to begin putting together the Bears' initial lineup of players. 'This is bigger than me,' Meninga said Friday. 'This new pioneering venture over to WA (Western Australia) and the opportunity to be involved in the growth of the game, to grow a club — the Perth Bears — is too good to refuse. I feel very honored, very nervous, and I think it's a huge responsibility.' The sport's premier competition originated in Sydney but has expanded to include a team in New Zealand, a team in the Australian capital, Canberra, a team in the Victoria state capital, Melbourne, and four teams in Queensland state. Perth Bears will enter the NRL from Australia's west coast before a team from rugby league-mad neighboring Pacific country Papua New Guinea, which is due to join in 2028 and make it a 19-team competition. The league's ambition is a 20-team format. ___ AP sports:
The Age
28-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
NRL to remove Meninga from Ashes series with Fittler, Smith and Walters in the frame
The talk out of Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night was that Mal Meninga's announcement as the inaugural coach of the Perth Bears was imminent, pending an agreement on the contract value. Attention will quickly turn to what that would mean for the Australian team and most of the 34 players who took to the field for game one of the series in Brisbane. This column has been told that the NRL does not want Meninga to coach Australia at the end-of-season Ashes series in England, instead wanting him to focus on building the Bears' roster for their 2027 debut. The Bears can't sign a player until November 1 - that's the same date as the second Test against England at Everton Stadium, a new 53,000-seat ground in Liverpool. The third and final Test of the series will be played a week later in Leeds, meaning Meninga would be preoccupied during a busy period for the NRL's newest franchise. Instead, the NRL will move to appoint a new Australia coach with an eye on the 2026 World Cup on home soil. The three names currently in the mix are former NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler, ex-Kangaroos captain Cameron Smith and former Broncos coach Kevin Walters. 'I wouldn't consider it unless I was formally asked,' Fittler said. 'I don't know if Mal has the job or that he can't do both.'
Sydney Morning Herald
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
NRL to remove Meninga from Ashes series with Fittler, Smith and Walters in the frame
The talk out of Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night was that Mal Meninga's announcement as the inaugural coach of the Perth Bears was imminent, pending an agreement on the contract value. Attention will quickly turn to what that would mean for the Australian team and most of the 34 players who took to the field for game one of the series in Brisbane. This column has been told that the NRL does not want Meninga to coach Australia at the end-of-season Ashes series in England, instead wanting him to focus on building the Bears' roster for their 2027 debut. The Bears can't sign a player until November 1 - that's the same date as the second Test against England at Everton Stadium, a new 53,000-seat ground in Liverpool. The third and final Test of the series will be played a week later in Leeds, meaning Meninga would be preoccupied during a busy period for the NRL's newest franchise. Instead, the NRL will move to appoint a new Australia coach with an eye on the 2026 World Cup on home soil. The three names currently in the mix are former NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler, ex-Kangaroos captain Cameron Smith and former Broncos coach Kevin Walters. 'I wouldn't consider it unless I was formally asked,' Fittler said. 'I don't know if Mal has the job or that he can't do both.'
