NRL chief threatens to sue Meninga over 'rats and filth' jibe in column
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Brad Walter
July 11, 2011 .
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Fury … Mal Meninga. Photo: Andy Zakeli
NRL match review committee chief Greg McCallum is considering legal action against Queensland coach Mal Meninga over a newspaper column in which he lashed out at the ''rats and filth that tried to poison a monumental team with lies, personal attacks, arrogance and disrespect''.
In an extraordinary attack, Meninga claimed the Maroons had to overcome a conspiracy by ''faceless men of influence'', who, he said, did not want Queensland to win a sixth consecutive Origin series and wanted to ''destroy a dynasty''.
Besides Blues captain Paul Gallen, who he accused of blaming referees instead of giving credit to the Maroons for their 2-1 series win, Meninga referred only to ''NSW powerbrokers''. But McCallum, NSWRL general manager Geoff Carr, Blues coach Ricky Stuart and sections of the media were clearly among his targets.
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''They are the ones who dragged the spotlight off the game on the field and on to the judiciary with the citing of Johnathan Thurston, and who found five weeks' worth of difference in the identical tackles of David Taylor and Akuila Uate,'' Meninga wrote in Brisbane's Sunday Mail.
''They are the ones who criticise Queensland's two closed training sessions as a refusal to promote the game, yet give their blessing to the NSW decision not to name its team until an hour before kick-off - the first time in Origin history.
''They are the ones who have the hide to label Queensland - a team built on the twin pillars of respect and humility - arrogant in victory and whingers in defeat, but offer nothing when their captain places the loss of the series at the feet of the referees, instead of acknowledging superior opponents.
''For them, the self-appointed keepers of the game, rugby league's health depended on NSW winning this year. That is what made me and others targets of personal attacks this year, conceived by puppets and driven by smarter people with their own interests at heart.''
McCallum, who rejected accusations of bias after charging Thurston over contact with referee Matt Cechin, said he was offended by Meninga's comments, and intended to take the matter further.
''I have not seen the column but people whose opinions I respect have read it to me … It is something I can't let go without commenting, and I can assure you I will be taking the matter up with the NRL, ARL and most likely the people who advise me legally,'' McCallum said.
Carr, who had criticised the Maroons' decision to impose a media blackout the weekend before last Wednesday's Origin decider, said he was mystified by the criticism, and described the column as ''weird''.
''There is no doubt that it is a great feat for any team to win six Origin series in a row, there is no doubt that they are a great team and there is no doubt that one of the biggest contributors to those six series wins has been Mal,'' Carr said. ''One of the most difficult things for a coach to do is prepare a team with a short-term team preparation, and Mal has done a fantastic job at that.
''But to suggest there is some huge conspiracy to destroy him and his team involving the judiciary is weird. I am a huge supporter of Mal's but it is my job … to point out that closing up shop for three days on the eve of the biggest event in years wasn't in the best interests of the game.''
Carr said Meninga should accept media criticism as part of the job but sources close to him said he was entitled to be angry at suggestions he was not the architect of Queensland's success, and that he unfairly pressured referees before matches.
Meninga described the reports as ''a sinister and malicious manoeuvre to remove me from my job''.
He continued: ''It was a disregard and disrespect of what I have worked so hard and so proudly to achieve in my career as a player, and now as a coach, by attacking my reputation, integrity, credibility and abilities, by branding me a dispensable commodity …
''It was personal, it was malicious, and it was disgraceful. I know … who were behind it. I know their personal agendas. Some of them I had considered friends. I know I will never forget what they did. They are the rats who, rather than celebrating a remarkable football team, tried to drown it with a flood of lies, half-truths and propaganda.''
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He has a point. This isnt a case of being a sore winner, he did his job now is the time to comment.
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Brad Walter
July 11, 2011 .
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\
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Fury … Mal Meninga. Photo: Andy Zakeli
NRL match review committee chief Greg McCallum is considering legal action against Queensland coach Mal Meninga over a newspaper column in which he lashed out at the ''rats and filth that tried to poison a monumental team with lies, personal attacks, arrogance and disrespect''.
In an extraordinary attack, Meninga claimed the Maroons had to overcome a conspiracy by ''faceless men of influence'', who, he said, did not want Queensland to win a sixth consecutive Origin series and wanted to ''destroy a dynasty''.
Besides Blues captain Paul Gallen, who he accused of blaming referees instead of giving credit to the Maroons for their 2-1 series win, Meninga referred only to ''NSW powerbrokers''. But McCallum, NSWRL general manager Geoff Carr, Blues coach Ricky Stuart and sections of the media were clearly among his targets.
Advertisement: Story continues below
''They are the ones who dragged the spotlight off the game on the field and on to the judiciary with the citing of Johnathan Thurston, and who found five weeks' worth of difference in the identical tackles of David Taylor and Akuila Uate,'' Meninga wrote in Brisbane's Sunday Mail.
''They are the ones who criticise Queensland's two closed training sessions as a refusal to promote the game, yet give their blessing to the NSW decision not to name its team until an hour before kick-off - the first time in Origin history.
''They are the ones who have the hide to label Queensland - a team built on the twin pillars of respect and humility - arrogant in victory and whingers in defeat, but offer nothing when their captain places the loss of the series at the feet of the referees, instead of acknowledging superior opponents.
''For them, the self-appointed keepers of the game, rugby league's health depended on NSW winning this year. That is what made me and others targets of personal attacks this year, conceived by puppets and driven by smarter people with their own interests at heart.''
McCallum, who rejected accusations of bias after charging Thurston over contact with referee Matt Cechin, said he was offended by Meninga's comments, and intended to take the matter further.
''I have not seen the column but people whose opinions I respect have read it to me … It is something I can't let go without commenting, and I can assure you I will be taking the matter up with the NRL, ARL and most likely the people who advise me legally,'' McCallum said.
Carr, who had criticised the Maroons' decision to impose a media blackout the weekend before last Wednesday's Origin decider, said he was mystified by the criticism, and described the column as ''weird''.
''There is no doubt that it is a great feat for any team to win six Origin series in a row, there is no doubt that they are a great team and there is no doubt that one of the biggest contributors to those six series wins has been Mal,'' Carr said. ''One of the most difficult things for a coach to do is prepare a team with a short-term team preparation, and Mal has done a fantastic job at that.
''But to suggest there is some huge conspiracy to destroy him and his team involving the judiciary is weird. I am a huge supporter of Mal's but it is my job … to point out that closing up shop for three days on the eve of the biggest event in years wasn't in the best interests of the game.''
Carr said Meninga should accept media criticism as part of the job but sources close to him said he was entitled to be angry at suggestions he was not the architect of Queensland's success, and that he unfairly pressured referees before matches.
Meninga described the reports as ''a sinister and malicious manoeuvre to remove me from my job''.
He continued: ''It was a disregard and disrespect of what I have worked so hard and so proudly to achieve in my career as a player, and now as a coach, by attacking my reputation, integrity, credibility and abilities, by branding me a dispensable commodity …
''It was personal, it was malicious, and it was disgraceful. I know … who were behind it. I know their personal agendas. Some of them I had considered friends. I know I will never forget what they did. They are the rats who, rather than celebrating a remarkable football team, tried to drown it with a flood of lies, half-truths and propaganda.''
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He has a point. This isnt a case of being a sore winner, he did his job now is the time to comment.
