Perth Bears coach Mal Meninga breaks his silence on salary caps, the PNG Chiefs and rumours of an exit
Perth Bears coach Mal Meninga has rubbished speculation that he is not fully committed to his fledgling squad and hit back at criticism of an apparent inability to attract big-name players, saying: “I certainly believe there are some highlights in the making.”
Meninga is in the process of building Perth’s starting squad ahead of their NRL entry next season but does not have the allure of the tax-free dollars available to the PNG Chiefs.
There was speculation that rugby league Immortal’s allegiance was shaky after the club was besieged by internal politics, including the departure of his right-hand man and general manager of football David Sharpe.
But in his first interview since Sharpe’s departure, Meninga spoke of his determination to get the job done, the quality of the squad assembled so far and his vision for rugby league in Western Australia.
The most striking thing was that the 65-year-old player denied the allegations that he had given up this fight.
“This makes me sad and kind of disappointing,” Meninga told this imprint.
“I know I don’t come out and say anything because I’m not that type of person. I do it for the right reasons. Everyone in this organization does it for the right reasons.”
“We want to leave our piece of legacy. I’ve said it from the beginning: ‘Why am I doing this? Why do I want to get back into coaching and put myself into it?’
“Honestly, it’s all about legacy. I don’t have any other deep reason for it.”
“Yes, there are rumors around that I am well paid, but this is beyond what you get. This is using my experience, my love for the game and my profile in the game.”
“My ‘why?’ I want to leave the game in a better place. I see no better option to do this than Perth and helping rugby league become a popular sport in Western Australia.
“We want to build respect in the community here. These are the reasons why I do this. I don’t need to protect who I am, what I do, or why I do it.”
internal dramas
Meninga and Sharpe have a close bond dating back to their time together in Canberra. However, Sharpe continued in his position after eight months in the position. Following an argument with Bears CEO Anthony De Ceglie.
Meninga had also pushed for former Gold Coast recruitment manager Ezra Howe to make the Bears squad, but the NRL refused to register him after the Titans accused him of breaching the terms of his employment contract.
“There were hiccups, there were clashes,” Meninga said.
“What start-up business, industry or organization doesn’t have conflicts and disagreements?
“I know it’s disappointing from my perspective, but I move on. ‘Why?’ You need to think about the things you have to deal with and grow from them.
“This is an internal attitude not only for me, but for all of us. I wanted them to be close to me, but unfortunately it did not work.”
Lack of a marquee man
The Bears have officially signed 18 players. Those committed to the club include Toby Sexton, Scott Sorensen, Tyran Wishart, Nick Meaney, Siosifa Talakai and Josh Curran.
But the Bears have been criticized for failing to attract a marquee man at a time when four-time championship-winning quarterback Jarome Luai has been heralded as the Papua New Guinea Chiefs’ “Code Player 001.”
But Meninga is pleased with how his list came together.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that from a club perspective, certainly from a squad management perspective, I’m really happy with where I’m at,” he said.
“I believe in the players, I believe we have created a strong and deep squad. [a lack of a] But that doesn’t mean I was wrong or our team was wrong in our decision making.
“I firmly believe there are milestones in the making. We’re going to build a sustainable culture and environment – that’s what we’re after. The people we’re recruiting are players with a lot of upside, and they can stay here for the long haul if we create what I call a shared experience with consistency in our roster while developing our kids in elite programs.”
Meninga pointed out that the Dolphins were criticized for not having a key player in their early years under Wayne Bennett, but they were still competitive from the start.
“I can assure the entire Perth Bears family that every player we have has a strong passion for leadership and wanting to succeed,” he said.
“They’re doing it here for the right reasons… I’m not worried about highlights, I’m worried about character. People come here for the right reasons… A marquee player can represent leadership and talent, but what about us not signing a player who has half that value and can represent that now and in the future? That’s up to the coaching staff, it’s up to us to produce the marquee.”
This imprint has revealed that Cronulla co-captain Cameron McInnes has agreed a two-year deal.
uneven playground
Some of the sharpest minds in football, including championship-winning coaches Wayne Bennett, Ivan Cleary and Trent Robinson, think the Bears should be given additional help to attract players. To date this has not happened, so PNG has a huge advantage in attracting players who do not have to pay tax on their winnings. For example, to cover Luai’s base salary of $3.6 million over three years with the Chiefs, Perth will need to spend approximately $6.6 million from the salary cap. And that’s before taking into account third-party deals, which are tax-free at the Chiefs.
Meninga had no complaints about Perth’s land.
“I’m more interested in the cultural part, where the pillars are established and that will create a sustainable business,” Meninga said.
“The only thing I would like to add is that when they sign a player – and they have some great concessions, don’t get me wrong, it makes you jealous sometimes, I won’t deny those feelings – I won’t deny that it’s market value.
“That’s something every club has in common; when you register a player, it’s considered market value and you get scolded for it. That’s my only comment on that.”
“When we sign someone a good contract for $500,000, that’s on par with when they sign someone for notional or market value. So it’s not $300,000 but $500,000, and you double your money because of the tax consequences.”
Coaching in the club zone
Meninga was considered the 13th Immortal after a storied playing career for the Raiders, Maroons and Kangaroos. As a coach, he guided the Maroons to nine State of Origin series wins out of 10, while also overseeing two Australian World Cup victories.
It’s an unprecedented record of success across the board, but some critics seized on the fact that this would be his first club head coaching job since 2001.
“I’m not the head coach, but I’ve been in club territory for a while,” said Meninga, who has held various roles with the Raiders and Titans in recent years.
“I’ve coached at those levels of representation, so I’m not naive about it.”
We spread the good news of the league
AFL is the biggest sport in Western Australia and media coverage has proven difficult. However, Meninga is confident that the club will win the support of the local community and play in front of packed crowds at HBF Park.
“We will fill our stadium. We will do this in every home match,” Meninga said.
“We want to earn the respect of this sporting community. We are the Perth Bears, I am comfortable that we have put together things that will make the Western Australian sporting community proud of us. We have to build respect, we are not taking over…
“We will be competitive. We will create an environment here where it will be very difficult to beat us.”
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