123-411: Malcolm Norman Meninga AM ( / m ə ˈ n ɪ ŋ ɡ ə / ; born 8 July 1960) is an Australian professional rugby league coach and a former professional rugby league footballer. Meninga is widely regarded as one of the finest players in the game's history. He enjoyed a long career in both Australia and England, playing mainly as a goal-kicking centre . After retiring, Meninga has enjoyed success as
246-460: A Bobbie Goulding pass only 20 metres from his own line and raced 70 metres downfield, with flying Lions winger Martin Offiah bearing down on him. Just as Offiah tackled him, Meninga gave a perfectly timed pass to winger Andrew Ettingshausen who scored the first of Australia's seven tries that day. After a poor first test, the second saw a welcome return to form for Meninga. The Kangaroos then scored
369-713: A Trans-Tasman Test series win over New Zealand in mid-season. Meninga though was forced to miss the first test at the Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland as he had been suspended for 2 weeks for the use of an elbow to Manly-Warringah's Welsh import centre John Devereux in the Raiders Round 10 match with the Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval . After the Australians got away with a lucky 14-All draw in
492-575: A Junior Certificate in 1975. He completed his Senior Certificate at the Queensland Police Academy, citing his love for TV police dramas as a key reason for joining the force, and served as an officer in the Queensland Police Service until 1985. It was during his time in the police force that Meninga met Wayne Bennett , who was serving as a constable at the time and would become one of Meninga's key mentors. Mal
615-579: A broken arm) for the one-off test against France in Parkes and the test against New Zealand in Wellington , Meninga was duly named captain of the 1990 Kangaroos . It was his third Kangaroo Tour after being a member of 1982's "Invincibles", as well as being a member of the undefeated 1986 Kangaroos who became known as "The Unbeatables". Meninga would score the opening try of the Kangaroo Tour in
738-521: A certain distance of their club. Accordingly, Brisbane was divided into Eastern Suburbs (incorporating Coorparoo and Wynnum), Southern Suburbs (incorporating Carltons), Western Suburbs, Northern Suburbs (incorporating Past Grammars), Fortitude Valley and Past Brothers (whose players had to prove that they had attended a Christian Brothers school). In 1934, the University Amateur Rugby League Club folded and disappeared from
861-561: A challenge to take the prime ministership in September 2015. Two months after coming into office, the new republican prime minister announced that the Queen had approved his request to amend the Order's letters patent and cease awards at this level. Existing titles would not be affected. The move was attacked by monarchists and praised by republicans. The amendments to the constitution of
984-748: A coach, and is currently the head coach of Australian national team . Meninga broke numerous rugby league records during his playing career. He retired with the most appearances in the history of the Australian national team, and became the top-point scorer ever in State of Origin football. He has since been honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia , has been inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame and has also been named in both Queensland 's and Australia 's teams of
1107-521: A girl. Meninga also fathered an English daughter during the 1982 Kangaroo tour, meeting her for the first time in 1994. Mal Meninga's brother Bevan served 21 years in jail for the 1991 murder of Sunshine Coast teenager Cheree Richardson. Meninga is regarded as an official spokesperson for the South Sea Islander community. The main grandstand at Canberra Stadium is named the "Mal Meninga Stand" in his honour. The Canberra Raiders' player of
1230-420: A goal in their 5–22 final loss to Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks . Meninga also made his first appearance at centre for Queensland in 1979, and the following year helped his state to win the first interstate match under State of Origin selection rules against New South Wales at Lang Park , kicking seven goals from seven attempts. Meninga was one of the last players to use the toe-poke kicking style rather than
1353-604: A handful of spectators at Brisbane Cricket Ground . Matches were played under the auspices of the Queensland Amateur Rugby Football League (later renamed Queensland Rugby League ). The foundation clubs were: Note: Queensland Rugby League era statistics are not counted as Brisbane Rugby League statistics. In 1922 the Brisbane Rugby Football League (Brisbane Rugby Football League, later Brisbane Rugby League)
SECTION 10
#17327945271621476-630: A hard-fought 23–4 win in the third test at Elland Road to once again retain The Ashes and keep alive their streak of not having lost a test series in England since the 1959–60 Kangaroo tour . On 4 December 1994, at the Stade de la Méditerranée in Béziers , France, Mal Meninga captained Australia to a record 74–0 victory over a very weak French team, scoring the final try of the game, and of his career. In
1599-427: A major role in an Oceania team's 54–4 victory over an Anglo-French selection in an exhibition match Paris, before returning to Brisbane after the match to continue playing for Souths. After again playing a leading role for Queensland in their third straight Origin series win over NSW, Meninga missed the first Ashes test against the touring Great Britain side, but was recalled to the team for the second and third tests of
1722-589: A member of the British Empire, members of the colonies and later federated nation of Australia were able to have achievement awarded under the British Imperial Honours system . However, existing criticism of the aristocratic nature of the awards grew following a cash-for-honours corruption scandal in the UK in 1922. Moves to abolish the awards federally and the states were unsuccessful; however
1845-564: A more commercial basis. This coincided with the commencement of television broadcasts of Brisbane Rugby League games in the same year. The money made from jersey sponsorships and advertising hoardings at grounds was not able to compete with poker machine money available to Sydney Rugby League clubs in the Sydney Rugby League , and an increasing number of players left the Brisbane Rugby League. This also affected
1968-542: A player, New South Wales, led by Raiders teammate Laurie Daley, won the series 2–1. The State of Origin series is the only trophy Mal Meninga would not win as a team captain. Meninga captained the Raiders to the Grand final for a record fifth time in 1994. At the end of the 1994 season, Meninga was selected for his record fourth Kangaroo Tour and his record second as captain when he went on the 1994 Kangaroo tour . Meninga became
2091-544: A promise he made in 2008. The weekend after Queensland won its sixth straight series, Mal Meninga penned a column in Brisbane's The Sunday Mail attacking the NSW media and match review panel, and labelling them "rats and filth" after he believed that they [the NSW media] had tried to sabotage his side's attempts at winning their sixth successive series by charging Johnathan Thurston and David Taylor with on-field incidents (only
2214-460: A public figure and I was put on the podium where I was just a person out there ... I'm buggered, I'm sorry, I have to resign." He later explained in 2017 that in the six weeks of preparation he had done leading up to the interview, he had never once been asked "why should people vote for you?". Subsequently, this incident led to the satirical Chaser team instituting the 'Mal Award' for their election television shows , presented to politicians "for
2337-534: A representation of the states (with whom Whitlam's government was constantly in dispute) through the state badges within the Commonwealth Coat of Arms . The original three-level structure of the Order of Australia was modelled closely upon the Order of Canada , though the Order of Australia has been awarded rather more liberally, especially in regard to honorary awards to non-citizens. As of July 2024 only 30 non-Canadians have been appointed to
2460-787: A row". In the 2009 series , Queensland won the first two games giving them a record fourth consecutive series win with captain Darren Lockyer saying Meninga now stands among the legends in State of Origin. In December 2009, Meninga was named coach of the year at the Queensland Sports Awards. In 2010, Meninga coached Queensland to a fifth straight series win, and is now regarded as the greatest and most successful Origin coach in history. He also coached them to their first "clean sweep" since 2000. In 2011, Meninga achieved his sixth straight series as coach of Queensland honoring
2583-576: A shock in the second test in Melbourne with a big 33–10 win, but the Kangaroos, led by Meninga's 12 points (1 try, 4 goals) won the deciding test at Lang Park 16–10. By starting in the 3rd test at Lang Park, Meninga played his 37th test, breaking the record of 36 held by Reg Gasnier since 1967. Gasnier was on hand to congratulate Meninga on his achievement. At the end of the 1992 season, Meninga captained Australia to their 10–6 win over Great Britain in
SECTION 20
#17327945271622706-472: A statewide competition. The Winfield State League was created in 1982. The State League competition ran in parallel to the Brisbane Rugby League competition from 1982 to 1995. Also, like with Sydney's competition, Brisbane's competition was also called the Winfield Cup during the 1980s, due to sponsorship from Winfield cigarettes . The Queensland Cup would eventually replace both the State league and
2829-613: A successful début as the Maroons coach in the 2006 State of Origin series , guiding Queensland to a 2–1 series victory, its first outright series victory since 2001 (this despite the fact Queensland lost the first match). Also in 2006, he coached the Prime Minister's XIII side to victory over the Papua New Guinea national rugby league team . Meninga attended the 2007 Challenge Cup Final , in which his old club St Helens
2952-420: A test career of 46 games for Australia, Mal Meninga scored a total of 278 points (21 tries, 99 goals). Australia won 40 and only lost 6 of the tests Meninga played and did not lose a test series during his time in the green and gold. He played in the centres on 40 occasions for Australia, with one game on the wing, two in the second-row, and three from the bench. On his four Kangaroo Tours as a player, Meninga holds
3075-434: Is a registered charity, whose stated purpose is "[t]o celebrate and promote outstanding Australian citizenship". It also supports the "community and social activities" of members and promotes and encourages the nomination of other Australians to the Order. The Order also runs a foundation that provides scholarships to tertiary students that show potential as future leaders and are involved in community activities. Branches of
3198-473: Is issued with each badge of the order at the time of investiture; AK/AD and AC lapel pins feature a citrine central jewel, AO and AM lapel pins have a blue enamelled centre and OAM lapel pins are plain. The different levels of the order are awarded according to the recipients' levels of achievement: Since 1976 any Australian citizen may nominate any person for an Order of Australia award. People who are not Australian citizens may be awarded honorary membership of
3321-563: Is likely to feel a bit second-rate, and the public is likely to agree. We hate to be the first to say it, but there is no doubt that the Order of Australia (OA) will be labelled as the Ocker Award. Satire and mockery also greeted the awards, being dubbed "Gough’s Gongs" and "the Order of the Wombat". The newly elected Liberal Fraser government decided to once again make recommendations for imperial awards, whilst maintaining and expanding
3444-517: Is of South Sea Island heritage and mother is a white Australian, was born in Bundaberg , Queensland . His father, Norman Meninga, also played rugby league. He has a brother, Geoffrey Meninga. As detailed on Who Do You Think You Are? in 2016, Meninga's great-grandfather Edward Meninga was from Tanna , Vanuatu . Meninga has often been misidentified as an Aboriginal Australian . Meninga attended Maroochydore State High School , graduating with
3567-512: Is sometimes used as an expression in Australian English for a very brief thing, especially in comparison to other political careers. A 'Mal Meninga moment' is another phrase stemming from this event, referring to gaffes where a speaker is unable to answer an obvious question. Meninga has been married twice. His first marriage produced two children, Tamika and Josh. His second marriage, to Amanda, produced three children, two boys and
3690-655: The 1981 Brisbane Rugby League season grand final with Souths, who defeated the Redcliffe Dolphins 13–9. In 1982, he was named man-of-the-match in Game 1 of 1982 State of Origin series against New South Wales at Lang Park, and was later selected to make his test début for Australia in a test against New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground , being the 540th player selected for Australia. Meninga had an unhappy game though, dislocating his elbow in
3813-488: The 2013 State of Origin series New South Wales appointed Laurie Daley to coach against Meninga. This was the third consecutive opponent of Meninga in State of Origin coaching to have been a teammate of the 1990 Winfield Cup Grand Final-winning Canberra side. In 2013, Meninga achieved his eighth consecutive series win with the Queensland State of Origin team. Meninga's record-breaking winning streak ended with
Mal Meninga - Misplaced Pages Continue
3936-488: The Australian Labor Party remained opposed and generally refused to recommend awards whilst in office, with this a part of the party's platform since 1918. This was confirmed in a resolution adopted unanimously by the party conference in 1921. However, the non-Labor parties remained supportive, with the long running Menzies government making significant use of the imperial system. The Order of Australia
4059-555: The Australian Rugby League Premiership which took nationwide first-class status in 1995. The Brisbane Rugby League became a state competition from 1995-97 until the Queensland Cup , which became a league-style competition in 1998, superseded the Brisbane Rugby League as the top state league. Redcliffe won the last Brisbane Rugby League Grand Final in 1997 defeating Eastern Suburbs 35–6, and
4182-672: The Canberra Raiders in the New South Wales Rugby League . Souths coach Wayne Bennett would join them at the club in 1987 as co-coach alongside Australian national coach Don Furner . Despite suffering a broken arm in a sickening collision with the goal posts in the Raider's Round 10 match with Manly-Warringah at the Raiders then home ground Seiffert Oval and subsequently missing 10 weeks (including Queensland's successful 1987 State of Origin series and
4305-562: The New South Wales Rugby League . The Brisbane Broncos debuted in the Sydney Rugby League premiership in 1988 . As the Broncos began to represent Brisbane at rugby league in the public eye the Brisbane Rugby League competition entered the terminal phase of its decline. The dominance of the Brisbane Broncos in the media resulted in the Brisbane Rugby League losing live coverage of games and receiving only minor interest from
4428-693: The Premiership Final. Meninga didn't manage to serve a second spell at Knowsley Road , for a variety of reasons, not least being a succession of injuries (three broken arms suffered in 1987 and 1988 respectively) that also punctuated his career in Australia. Yet he remains a legendary figure in international rugby league, and his season at St Helens has been described as the most significant of any overseas import in Britain. In 1986, Meninga and teammate Gary Belcher left Southern Suburbs to play for
4551-501: The Queensland Rugby League attempted to regain control of the Brisbane Rugby League competition in 1923 and 1924, the Brisbane Rugby League remained steadfast and the dispute simmered into the next decade. so dire did the situation become, that by the late 1920s, the Queensland Rugby League commenced its own competition involving Ipswich clubs and two supporting Brisbane clubs. Until 1932 Brisbane Exhibition Ground
4674-468: The Queensland State of Origin team coaching job. During the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup , Wales' assistant coach Scott Johnson got Meninga to assist with pre-match preparation by speaking to the players and presenting them with their jerseys. Meninga left Canberra and returned to Queensland in 2005, opening several successful businesses, including a fruit and vegetable wholesale business in
4797-693: The Super League war of the mid-1990s. His popularity and playing record as a domestic and international captain were valuable in raising the profile of the rebel competition. In 1995 Meninga's book Mal Meninga: My Life in Football was published. He was appointed head coach of his old club, the Canberra Raiders in Australia's Super League season in 1997. Meninga was appointed coach of the Raiders in 1997, succeeding three-time winner Tim Sheens , but achieved only moderate success. In 2000, Meninga
4920-519: The Sydney Rugby League premiership . The Brisbane Rugby League premiership then became a second-tier competition until it ceased and was fully replaced at this level by the Queensland Cup before the 1998 season. The FOGS Cup , a third-tier competition under the NRL and Queensland Cup , changed its name to the Brisbane Rugby League in 2016. The Queensland Rugby Football League (QRFL)
5043-576: The World Cup final in front of a record international test crowd of 73,631 at Wembley Stadium in London . The Raiders came back strongly in 1993 , with their international stars Meninga, Ricky Stuart, Laurie Daley , Bradley Clyde and Steve Walters , as well as try scoring Fijian Noa Nadruku (22 tries for the season) leading the way. Canberra finished third after the minor round, and were premiership favourites until their fateful Round 21 match with
Mal Meninga - Misplaced Pages Continue
5166-615: The 28th minute after a crunching blindside tackle from Kiwi winger Dane O'Hara , while at the same time attempting to break a tackle from Kiwi fullback Gary Kemble . He soon recovered and played in the centres for Souths in their 17–3 loss to the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the BRL Grand Final at Lang Park. Post season he toured Europe with the undefeated 1982 Kangaroos , playing in all six tests on tour against Papua New Guinea , Great Britain and France . Meninga
5289-474: The 435 people who have received the nation's top Order of Australia honours since they were first awarded in 1975, shows they disproportionately attended a handful of elite Victorian secondary schools. Scotch College alumni received the highest number of awards, with 19 former students receiving Australia's [then] highest honour". On 26 January 1980 the Order of Australia Association was created as an incorporated body with membership open to award recipients. It
5412-627: The Australian off-season and he helped the club to victory in the Premiership . He was bought by BBC commentator and former Saints forward Ray French while he was in Australia covering the 1984 Great Britain Lions tour. St Helens' rivals Wigan were also after him and had papers ready for him to sign. French had accidentally left the St Helens contract in his hotel room so asked Wigan chairman Maurice Lindsay if he could borrow his; unbelievably,
5535-540: The Blues' win in the 2014 State of Origin series . The Maroons, however, still scored more points than the Blues across all three matches. In the 2015 State of Origin Series he coached Queensland to their ninth series win in ten years, with the decider played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on 8 July 2015 and Queensland recording both the largest score and biggest victory margin with a 52–6 victory. On 2 December 2015, Meninga
5658-642: The Brisbane Markets, and several Strathfield Car Sound outlets. In late 2005, he was announced as the new Queensland State of Origin coach, to replace Michael Hagan . From 2005 to 2012, Meninga served as coach of the Australian Prime Minister's XIII . During his tenure, Meninga coached the PM's XIII in 8 matches, winning 7 and drawing 1. He was succeeded as coach of the PM's XIII by New South Wales coach Laurie Daley . Meninga made
5781-597: The Brisbane Rugby League competition around this time were South Coast (1952–1953), Wynnum-Manly (1951) and Redcliffe (1960). A then-record crowd at Brisbane Football Stadium of 19,824 saw Northern Suburbs defeat Fortitude Valley in the Brisbane Rugby League grand final in September 1961. In 1967 the Queensland Rugby League removed the residential qualifications for players in Brisbane Rugby League clubs, meaning that players did not have to reside in their certain suburbs to play for their teams. This reduced community support for teams, and club decisions began to be made on
5904-489: The Brisbane Rugby League premiership in 1996 and 1998. In the 1980s, two further teams were added to the Brisbane Rugby League competition: Ipswich (1986) and Logan (1987). Despite some New South Wales Rugby League ( Sydney Rugby League ) premiership games being re-broadcast during late night timeslots from the late 1970s, the Brisbane Rugby League remained the more popular competition in Queensland until 1988 with
6027-448: The Canberra Raiders in the 1994 Grand Final where he led his team to victory over Canterbury-Bankstown to their third premiership in six years. Fittingly, Mal scored the last try of the match after taking an intercept and outpacing Bulldogs centre Jarrod McCracken to score beside the posts (amazingly, despite being a noted goal kicker throughout his career, Meninga declined to take what would have been an easy shot at goal and left it to
6150-483: The International game to become the pinnacle of rugby league like it was in his playing days. In late 2017, Meninga coached the Australian team to win the 2017 Rugby League World Cup . In October 2022 he named his Australia squad for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup . Meninga coached Australia in their 2021 Rugby League World Cup final victory over Samoa. Meninga briefly campaigned as an Independent for
6273-524: The Lions test side. According to BBC commentators Ray French and former Great Britain halfback Alex Murphy , the Lions players simply could not handle the 'Man Mountain' Meninga. Meninga continued his good form in 1983, even though Souths missed the BRL Grand Final. He played in Queensland's second straight Origin series win over NSW, while also starring for Australia in the two test series against New Zealand in mid-season. In 1984, Meninga played
SECTION 50
#17327945271626396-418: The Order of Australia and the award of 199 Honorary Medals of the Order of Australia. Notable honorary awards include: Since 1975, just over 30 per cent of recipients of an Order of Australia honour have been women. The number of nominations and awards for women is trending up, with the 2023 Australia Day Honours resulting in the highest percentage of awards for women to date (47.1 per cent, 47.9 per cent in
6519-597: The Order of Australia. This was done by with the addition of two additional award levels: Knight or Dame (AK or AD) above the level of Companion, and the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) below Members. The Civil Division was also renamed the General Division, so that awards could be given to those in the Defence Force for non-military achievement. These changes were made on 24 May 1976. The reaction to
6642-486: The Order of Canada, while 537 non-Australians have been appointed to the Order of Australia, with 46 to the Companion level. Public reaction to the new awards was mixed. Only the state Labor governments of Tasmania and South Australia agreed to submit recommendations for the new awards, with the remaining governments affirming their committent to the existing imperial honours system. Newspaper editorials similarly praised
6765-439: The Order were gazetted on 22 December 2015. Yvonne Kenny AM represented the Order at the 2023 Coronation . King Charles III , when he was Prince of Wales , was appointed a Knight of the Order of Australia (AK) on 14 March 1981. As he is not an Australian citizen, even though he was the heir to the Australian throne at the time, this would have required the award to be honorary. To overcome this issue, his appointment
6888-594: The Order would be determined by the Council of the Order of Australia. Awards of the Order of Australia are sometimes made to people who are not citizens of Australia to honour extraordinary achievements. These achievements, or the people themselves, are not necessarily associated with Australia, although they often are. On 1 July 2024, the Australian Honours website listed appointments for 46 Honorary Companions, 118 Honorary Officers, 174 Honorary Members of
7011-441: The Queen to reinstate the level of knight or dame and the Queen co-signed letters patent to bring this into effect. The change was publicly announced on 25 March, and gazetted on 17 April 2014. Up to four knights or dames could be appointed each year, by the Queen of Australia on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the chairman of the Order of Australia Council. Five awards of knight and dame were then made, to
7134-530: The Raiders had lost 19–12 to Penrith in the Grand Final, Meninga captained the Australians for their tour of Papua New Guinea which included a 2–0 test series win over the Kumuls . After Canberra's salary cap problems at the end of 1991 which saw them lose a number of fringe players as well as some veterans (though most, including Meninga, agreed to actually take a pay cut in order to keep the side together),
7257-520: The Raiders in 1987 and 1988. His third also saw him miss a place in Australia's 25–12 win over New Zealand in the World Cup final at Eden Park in Auckland at the end of the 1988 season. After being given the Raiders' captaincy, Meninga led Canberra to their first premiership in 1989 after overcoming the Balmain Tigers 19–14 in extra time in the Grand Final, the Raiders becoming not only
7380-501: The Raiders missed the finals for the first time since 1986 when they finished 12th in 1992 . Meninga's form continued though, captaining Queensland in the 1992 State of Origin series (NSW won 2–1) as well as Australia's successful Ashes defence against the touring Great Britain Lions . He was in great form in the first test at the Sydney Football Stadium, scoring 2 tries as Australia won 22–6. The Lions produced
7503-531: The Raiders to another Grand final victory against the Penrith Panthers . He was also the year's top try-scorer (crossing for five in the Round 5 match against Eastern Suburbs at the Raiders new home ground, Bruce Stadium ) and top-point scorer, and was named as Rugby League Week 's player of the year. After gaining the test captaincy that year in the absence of an injured Wally Lewis (also because of
SECTION 60
#17327945271627626-561: The Raiders, Meninga played for Australia in their record 70–8 win over Papua New Guinea at Wagga Wagga in country NSW, scoring two tries. Unfortunately for Meninga, after one more game for Canberra he then broke his arm for a third time in Australia's 22–10 over a Rest of the World team at the Sydney Football Stadium , putting him out for the rest of the 1988 NSWRL season . Meninga's broken arms saw him play only 17 games for
7749-418: The Year , the first rugby league player to win it. Meninga's good form continued in 1991 , helping Queensland to win the Origin series (Wally Lewis retained the Qld captaincy) before leading Australia to a 2–1 series win over New Zealand in the mid-season tests . During the 44–12 third test win at Lang Park, Meninga broke Michael Cronin 's Kangaroos point scoring record. At the end of the 1991 season after
7872-417: The advice of then prime minister Gough Whitlam . Before the establishment of the order, Australians could receive British honours , which continued to be issued in parallel until 1992. Appointments to the order are made by the governor-general , "with the approval of The Sovereign", according to recommendations made by the Council for the Order of Australia . Members of the government are not involved in
7995-462: The association are in all the states and territories of Australia as well as the UK and the USA. Total inductees as of July 2024 . The order of wearing Australian and other approved honours is determined by the government. The award is parodied in the play Amigos , where the central character is determined to be awarded the AC, and uses persuasion, bribery and blackmail in his (ultimately successful) attempts to get himself nominated for
8118-450: The award to Prince Philip in a ReachTEL poll. The Australian Labor Party continued to oppose knighthoods and damehoods. Leader of the opposition Bill Shorten stated in March 2014 that the party would again discontinue the level if it were to win the next Australian federal election. The knighthood decision was a significant factor that caused Liberal party members to question Abbott's leadership, with Malcolm Turnbull succeeding in
8241-450: The award. During the 1996 season of the popular television programme Home and Away , the character Pippa Ross was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her years of service as a foster carer. Brisbane Rugby League premiership The Brisbane Rugby League premiership was a rugby league football competition in Brisbane , Queensland , Australia . It was first held in 1922 and for every year until 1997. The competition
8364-411: The awards as an example of Australia's greater independence, whilst also noting that the awards would likely appear second-rate. The Australian stated that There is no longer a British Empire; everyone knows that. But somehow the phrase "imperial honours" still carries a ring of regal authenticity that somehow transcends nationalism. For the time being a recipient ... of the Order of Australia
8487-404: The centre an enamelled disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia . The colours of royal blue and gold are taken from the livery colours of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms , the then national colours . The star for knights and dames is a convex golden disc decorated with citrines, with a blue royally crowned inner disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia. The ribbon of
8610-459: The century. Meninga is the only player in history to be selected for four Kangaroo Tours . He toured with the Kangaroos in 1982 , 1986 , 1990 and 1994 , appearing in every test match against Great Britain and France on all four tours. He is also the only player to captain two Kangaroo Tours, in 1990 and 1994. Additionally he is one of five players, along with Wally Lewis , Peter Sterling , Brett Kenny and Gene Miles , who were members of
8733-519: The changes to the awards were similarly split along party lines. Following the 1983 federal election , Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke recommitted to the end of recommendations for imperial awards. No knighthoods were awarded during his first term in office and he advised the abolition of the knight/dame level after being re-elected in 1986. During the time the division was active from 1976 to 1983, twelve knights and two dames were created. On 19 March 2014, monarchist prime minister Tony Abbott advised
8856-510: The competition. In 1953 the friction between the Queensland Rugby League and Brisbane Rugby League ended, with the Brisbane Rugby League being replaced by the Brisbane division of the Queensland Rugby League. Former Brisbane Rugby League chairman and Queensland Rugby League secretary Ron McAullife eventually secured the use of Brisbane Football Stadium as a permanent home for rugby league in Queensland . Teams that joined
8979-462: The distinction in playing in every test for Australia on tour, playing all six tests in both 1982 and 1986, all five in 1990, and all four in 1994. Former teammate and coach of the London Broncos , Gary Grienke was hopeful of bringing Meninga to his club for a swansong season, but this did not eventuate. Following his retirement Mal Meninga openly supported the Super League concept during
9102-463: The exception of awards recommended by the soon to be independent government of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea ); however this did not affect the constitutional right of state governments to recommend imperial awards. According to the governor general's then-secretary Sir David Smith , Whitlam was furious when he first saw Devlin's design for the insignia of the order, due to the inclusion of
9225-401: The first game against his old club St Helens at Knowsley Road. After the Kangaroos' shock 19–12 loss in the first Ashes test against Great Britain at Wembley Stadium , Australia won the next two tests at Old Trafford and Elland Road to wrap up the series. In the second test at Old Trafford, Meninga scored one of the most famous tries in test history. With only a couple of minutes remaining and
9348-523: The first non-Sydney team to win the premiership, but also the first team to win after finishing the minor round in 4th place. In the post season Meninga travelled with the Raiders to England and captained the team in their 30–18 loss to a Martin Offiah inspired Widnes in the 1989 World Club Challenge at Old Trafford . Meninga successfully returned to top level representative football in 1989, playing for Queensland in their State of Origin series whitewash of NSW (though he did suffer an eye socket injury in
9471-525: The first test, Meninga returned to the team (which was captained by New South Wales captain Laurie Daley in Auckland) for the second test win at Palmerston North on an extremely wet and cold night, as well the third test win at Lang Park. On Australia Day 1994, Meninga was made a Member of the Order of Australia "for service to rugby league football". Later that year he played his last game for
9594-489: The general division). Advocacy groups such as Honour a Woman and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency have called for greater effort to be made to reach equal representation of men and women in the order. In December 2010, The Age reported a study of the educational backgrounds of all people who had received Knight/Dame and Companion level awards at that time. It reported: "An analysis of
9717-683: The governments of each respective state and territory, and three ex officio members (the chief of the Defence Force , the vice-president of the Federal Executive Council and a public servant responsible for honours policy). The Council chair as of August 2024 is Shelley Reys. The Council makes recommendations to the governor-general. Awards are announced on Australia Day and on the King's Birthday public holiday in June, on
9840-586: The governor-general to remove an individual from the order, who may cancel an award. Announcements of all awards, cancellations and resignations appear in the Commonwealth Gazette . Nomination forms are confidential and not covered by the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) . The reasoning behind a nomination being successful or unsuccessful—and even the attendees of the meetings where such nominations are discussed—remains confidential. As
9963-448: The greatest act of political suicide during an election campaign". In an episode, which aired on 28 November 2007, Meninga satirised himself when he was brought in to present the award but "gave up" mid-speech. Additionally, his career has been described as the 'shortest political career on record' with less than a minute between the beginning of the interview and his 'resignation'. Something being 'shorter than Mal Meninga's political career'
10086-593: The hapless Parramatta Eels at Bruce Stadium . Halfback Ricky Stuart badly broke and dislocated his right ankle in the second half and despite a club record 68–0 win, without their halfback and chief play maker, the Raiders fell apart. They lost their last minor round game to Canterbury-Bankstown 32–8, before meekly going out in straight sets in the finals with losses to eventual Grand Finalists St George and premiers Brisbane . 1993 wasn't all bad though. Although Queensland lost their second straight State of Origin series under Menginga's captaincy, he did lead Australia to
10209-500: The latter was suspended) and also attacking NSW coach Ricky Stuart over his decision not to reveal the Blues line-up up to one hour before kick-off (which is when the official team lists must be released prior to a match). He was set to face legal action from the NRL's match review panel over his now controversial column, but after negotiations with them on 1 August 2011, the matter was resolved. Meninga still maintains what he has written. For
10332-589: The league was then declared defunct. On 26 September 2014, the South East Queensland Division announced that they will be scrapping the existing FOGS Cup structure and reforming the Brisbane Rugby League as the state's secondary competition. Legally, although they share the same name, this competition is completely separate from the original BRL. (Reserve Grade) = Reserve Grade side to the Senior Grade side. Selected players from
10455-558: The more accurate around-the-corner style that was starting to take hold. That Origin game was on 8 July 1980, Meninga's 20th birthday. Later that year he played for Souths in the BRL grand final , scoring a try and kicking 3 goals as the Magpies went down to Northern Suburbs 17–15. Meninga finished the 1980 season as the BRL's top points scorer, with 245 points . A year later however Meninga reached
10578-476: The more lucrative Sydney Rugby League , and began to lose popular interest with the creation of the Brisbane Broncos in 1988. Also in 1988, the Sydney Rugby League de facto superseded the Brisbane Rugby League by going national and including the Brisbane and Gold Coast clubs. However, the BRL maintained legal top-flight status until the advent of the national Australian Rugby League premiership in 1995, which superseded both Brisbane Rugby League premiership and
10701-584: The normally astute Lindsay agreed and handed over the papers. French crossed out any reference to Wigan and changed it to "St Helens" instead, stealing the star from under their noses. Mal Meninga played at centre and scored 2- tries in St. Helens 28–16 victory over Wigan in the 1984 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1984–85 season at Central Park , Wigan on Sunday 28 October 1984. On 11 May 1985 Meninga added further silverware, scoring two memorable long-range tries as St Helens defeated Hull Kingston Rovers 36–16 in
10824-417: The occasion of a special announcement by the governor-general (usually honorary awards), and on the appointment of a new governor-general. The governor-general presents the order's insignia to new appointees. Appointments to the order may be made posthumously as long as a person was nominated for an award whilst they were still alive. Awardees may subsequently resign from the order, and the Council may advise
10947-678: The one-off test loss against New Zealand), Meninga returned to play in Canberra's 18–8 loss to Manly in that year's Grand Final at the SCG, the last ever Grand Final to be held at the ground. On an unseasonably warm day, Meninga's lack of match fitness since his return told (he had only played 60 minutes of the Preliminary final win over Eastern Suburbs the week before) and he was finally replaced by Raiders reserve back Kevin Walters midway through
11070-407: The only player selected to four Kangaroo tours and the only player to twice be named tour captain. Australia again lost the first test against Great Britain at Wembley Stadium, but changes made to the team by coach Bob Fulton saw the Kangaroos bounce back with a vengeance in the second test at Old Trafford with a 38–8 win. With the scores locked at 4–4 after two penalty goals each, Meninga intercepted
11193-415: The opposing defensive line with his bone-crunching runs. From the safety of my spot six or seven metres away from the action, I felt grateful that I didn't have to tackle him because his giant thighs were lethal weapons. Meninga made his first grade début in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership at the age of 18 with Southern Suburbs . He was selected to play for Brisbane in the 1979 Amco Cup , kicking
11316-728: The order at all levels. Nomination forms are submitted to the Director, Honours Secretariat, a position within the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia , at Government House, Canberra , which are then forwarded to the Council for the Order of Australia . The council consists of 19 members: seven selected by the prime minister (described as "community representatives"), eight appointed by
11439-407: The order in descending order of seniority are: Honorary awards at all levels may be made to non-citizens. These awards are made additional to the quotas. The order's insignia was designed by Stuart Devlin . The badge of the Order of Australia is a convex disc (gold for AKs, ADs and ACs, gilt for AOs, AMs and OAMs) representing a single flower of mimosa . At the centre is a ring, representing
11562-416: The order is royal blue with a central stripe of mimosa blossoms. Awards in the military division are edged with 1.5 mm golden bands. AKs, male ACs and AOs wear their badges on a necklet and male AMs and OAMs wear them on a ribbon on the left chest. Women usually wear their badges on a bow on the left shoulder, although they may wear the same insignia as males if so desired. A gold lapel pin for daily wear
11685-457: The outgoing governor-general , Quentin Bryce ; her successor, Peter Cosgrove ; a recent chief of the Defence Force , Angus Houston ; a recent governor of New South Wales , Marie Bashir ; and Prince Philip . This last award was widely met with ridicule and dismay by many in the Australian media. The award was also heavily criticised in the community, with 72% disapproving and 12% in favour of
11808-524: The popularity of the Bulimba Cup which had been held between the cities of Brisbane , Ipswich and Toowoomba since the 1930s. In 1978 the premiership trophy, the Kirks Cup was replaced by the Winfield Cup. The Queensland Rugby League commissioned Eric White Associates to investigate the administrative structure of the game in Queensland in 1977. One of the recommendations was the creation of
11931-681: The prime minister alone, rather than by the Council of the Order of Australia, as is the case with all lower levels of the order. In accordance with the statutes of 2014, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , was created a Knight of the Order by letters patent signed by the Queen on 7 January 2015, on Abbott's advice. Prince Philip's knighthood was announced as part of the Australia Day Honours on 26 January 2015 and his appointment attracted criticism of what Abbott described as his "captain's call". Abbott responded by announcing that future recommendations for appointments as Knights and Dames of
12054-431: The recommendation of appointments, other than for military and honorary awards. The King of Australia is the sovereign head of the order, and the governor-general is the principal companion and chancellor of the order. The governor-general's official secretary , Paul Singer (appointed August 2018), is secretary of the order. The order is divided into a general and a military division. The five levels of appointment to
12177-433: The scores locked at 10 all, his Raiders teammate Ricky Stuart raced through a gap in the tired Lions defence and sprinted 70 metres upfield. With Lions players converging, Meninga loomed in support and after legally shouldering Lions centre Carl Gibson out of the way, received the pass from Stuart and touched down for a dramatic 14–10 win that silenced most of the 46,615 strong crowd. Mal then went on to score another try in
12300-615: The sea, with the word Australia below two branches of mimosa. The whole disc is topped by the Crown of St Edward . The AC badge is decorated with citrines , blue enamelled ring, and enamelled crown. The AO badge is similar, without the citrines. For the AM badge, only the crown is enamelled, and the OAM badge is plain. The AK/AD badge is similar to that of the AC badge, but with the difference that it contains at
12423-509: The seat of Molonglo in the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly during the Territory's 2001 general election , informally aligned with the socially conservative , pro-life grouping of Paul Osborne , MLA for Brindabella . On Monday 24 September 2001, after being asked why he was standing, he pulled out mid-sentence , stating, "And the thing about that is, I guess, I was
12546-537: The second game in Sydney which kept him out of the third), before being selected to the mid-season tour of New Zealand . After playing in the centres for the first two test wins over the Kiwis, Meninga was moved to the second-row for the third test in Auckland with great effect as he scored a try and kicked one goal to add to his 5 goals in the first test and 2 in the second. At the end of the 1990 NSWRL season Meninga led
12669-450: The second half. He scored the Raiders first points in their maiden Grand Final appearance with a penalty goal early in the second half to reduce the deficit to 6–2 after eventual Clive Churchill Medal winner Cliff Lyons had scored for the Sea Eagles before half time allowing them to take a 6–0 lead into the break. A second broken arm before the start of the 1988 NSWRL season saw Meninga missing until Round 15. After just 4 games back for
12792-463: The series which Australia again won 3–0. Meninga was the BRL's top tryscorer and points scorer in the 1984 season, with 18 tries and 154 points. Meninga continued his good form for Souths in 1985, playing in their 10–8 Grand Final win over Wynnum-Manly . 1985 also saw NSW win the Origin series for the first time, though Mal was selected for the mid-season Kangaroo Tour of New Zealand . Australia won
12915-404: The sports media. The drop in interest saw the Brisbane Rugby League, its clubs and its junior development base incurring significant and crippling financial losses. Several longstanding clubs were not able to survive the impact over the coming years. From 1988, Brisbane Rugby League players weren't chosen to represent Queensland again. The Brisbane Rugby League premiership was fully superseded by
13038-447: The team's regular kicker David Furner ). During 1994, Meninga played his final test on Australian soil when he led the Kangaroos to a record 58–0 win over France in a one-off test at Sydney's Parramatta Stadium in front of an almost packed house of 27,318. He scored a try and kicked 5 goals in his final test for Australia in Australia. Unfortunately for Meninga, in his last State of Origin series for Queensland as both captain and as
13161-490: The test series 2–1 against the Kiwis with Meninga in the centres for each test, but on a tour that had seen the NSW vs Qld rivalry come into play in an Australian team, New Zealand won the dead rubber 3rd test at Carlaw Park in Auckland 18–0. After his displays on the 1982 Kangaroo tour, Meninga was in high demand with English club sides. For the 1984–85 Rugby Football League season he signed to play for St. Helens , who had paid around £ 30,000 for his services to play in
13284-485: The third and deciding test as Australia won 14–0 and retained The Ashes they had held since 1974. As he also had scored a try at Wembley, Meninga joined legendary Australian winger Ken Irvine (1963), and unlikely try scorer, Queensland and Canberra Prop Sam Backo ( 1988 ) as the only Australian's to score a try in each test of an Ashes series. Also in 1990, Meninga's deeds in leading the successful Kangaroo tour saw him named as Britain's BBC Overseas Sports Personality of
13407-543: The third test at Headingley in Leeds . The 1982 Kangaroos, the first touring team to go through Great Britain and France undefeated, earned the Frank Stanton coached team the nickname "The Invincibles". Mal's size, strength, and at that stage of his career his speed (in the early 1980s he was once reportedly timed at 11.9 seconds over 100 metres ) saw him wreak havoc with the weaker English club side defences, as well as
13530-545: The undefeated 1982 and 1986 tours, known as 'the Invincibles' and 'the Unbeatables' respectively. . As a coach, he began with the Canberra Raiders , before coaching Queensland to nine State of Origin titles between 2006 and 2015. He became coach of Australia in 2016 and led the Kangaroos to win the 2017 World Cup and the 2021 World Cup . Meninga was inducted as the 13th Immortal in 2018. Meninga, whose father
13653-534: The weekly live broadcast of the Match of the Round being played at Lang Park. In 1986 the New South Wales Rugby League decided to allow a team from Brisbane to enter the Sydney Rugby League premiership. While the New South Wales Rugby League was originally negotiating a Brisbane team sponsored by the Queensland Rugby League , a private bid in the form of the Brisbane Broncos was instead accepted by
13776-573: The year receives the Mal Meninga Medal in his honour since 2008 and a statue of him has been placed behind the Mal Meninga grandstand next to the one of Laurie Daley . Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II , Queen of Australia , on
13899-415: Was actually a senior constable and 2IC PE instructor under Sergeant Wayne Bennett at the Queensland Police Academy during the early 80s. Meninga captained Australia for 23 Test matches between 1990 and 1994, and captained the Queensland State of Origin team for three years from 1992 to 1994. He remains the only player to captain two Kangaroo tours, in 1990 and 1994 . I'd watch in awe as Mal pulverised
14022-637: Was appointed as the head coach of the Australian national rugby league team , succeeding Tim Sheens . This, however, meant that he had to resign from his post as Queensland Origin coach (following events during the 1985 Kangaroo Tour of New Zealand , the Australian Rugby League had decided that the Australian coach could not be a current State of Origin coach), thus ending the most successful Origin coaching stint in NRL history. Before his appointment Mal announced his ambitions that he wanted
14145-631: Was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in rugby league. The following year, he received the Centenary Medal "for service as a role model and inspiration as a rugby league footballer of the highest standard". After Canberra failed to make the finals of the 2001 NRL season , finishing fourth-last (11th out of 14 teams), Meninga was replaced by Matthew Elliott as Raiders coach. In late 2002, Meninga expressed interest in
14268-447: Was created by an amendment to the constitution of the Order of Australia by special letters patent signed by the Queen, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser . In March 2014 the knight and dame levels, which had been abolished in 1986 by Prime Minister Bob Hawke , were reintroduced to the Order of Australia by Tony Abbott . At the same time, Abbott announced that future appointments at this level would be recommended by
14391-498: Was established on 14 February 1975 by letters patent of Queen Elizabeth II , acting as Queen of Australia , and on the advice of the newly elected Labor prime minister , Gough Whitlam . The original order had three levels: Companion (AC), Officer (AO) and Member (AM) as well as two divisions: Civil Division and Military Division. Whitlam had previously announced in 1972 (on his third day in office) that his government would no longer nominate persons for British Imperial honours (with
14514-740: Was formed in 1908 by seven former rugby union players who were dissatisfied with the administration of the Queensland Rugby Union (QRU). The new organisation was attacked by both the local press and the QRU for introducing professionalism, which they claimed would destroy the sport. The "founding fathers" of the QRFL included John Fihelly , an Australian Labor Party Member of Parliament who became Minister for Railways and Deputy Premier. The first official club competition kicked off in Brisbane on 8 May 1909. Norths played against Souths before
14637-466: Was formed out of dissatisfaction with the way the Queensland Rugby League ran the game. Those involved took particular exception to the salary being earned by Harry Sunderland as secretary of the Queensland Rugby League . The Brisbane Rugby League took control of the local competition. Competing in the Brisbane Rugby League competition that year were Brothers, Carltons, Coorparoo, University, Valley and Wests, with Past Grammars rejoining in 1924. Although
14760-427: Was playing, at Wembley Stadium as a guest of honour. On 13 October 2006, Meninga was reappointed as coach of the Maroons for the 2007 State of Origin series and 2008 State of Origin series , both of which Queensland won, taking his record with the Maroons to three wins from three series. When Meninga was given a new contract after the 2008 series, he was quoted as saying: "I want to win six [State of Origin series] in
14883-616: Was reinstated in 2001 , known as the FOGS premiership under the Queensland Cup . The competition consists of Brisbane's top six rugby league clubs. Each participating team is a feeder club for the Queensland Cup . Prior to 1922, the competition was conducted under the auspices of the Queensland Rugby League . Until the 1980s it was the premier sporting competition in Brisbane, attracting large crowds and broad media coverage. The Brisbane Rugby League however, had been in slow decline for some 15 years as large numbers of its players left to compete in
15006-462: Was the Kangaroos top point scorer on tour, scoring 166 from 10 tries (worth 3 points) and 68 goals, including a personal haul of 19 points (1 try, 8 goals) in the first Ashes series test against Great Britain at Boothferry Park in Hull . He then backed that up with 15 points (1 try, 6 goals) in the second test at Wigan 's Central Park , before adding a further 14 points (7 goals) to his Ashes tally in
15129-480: Was the home of rugby league in the city. The complicated arrangement between the Brisbane Rugby League, Queensland Rugby League and Royal National Association (who administered the Exhibition Ground) led to Brisbane Cricket Ground being used for rugby league matches. In 1933 district football was introduced to provide community support and player equalisation. This meant that players had to live within
#161838