Titans make a huge off-season signing by bringing in Mal Meninga

Gold Coast has added Mal Meninga to their books as the club’s head of performance and culture in a bid to turn around its fortunes. The league Immortal will move from Canberra to the glitter strip immediately to take up a new role that won’t interfere with his Kangaroos coaching commitments. “I can feel there is something special building at the Titans,” Meninga said.

“The NRL needs rugby league and the Titans to be strong in the area. It is one of the game’s heartlands and it is no secret that it is under threat from rival codes who are investing heavily to own the territory. “I want to see all young kids in the Titans’ catchment area – boys and girls – growing up aspiring to play for the Titans, for their respective states and their country.” NRL CEO Todd Greenberg green-lit the move after receiving assurances his Australian role would have top priority. “The NRL needs a strong team on the Gold Coast and Mal’s track record of success – including building winning team cultures at State and national level – will help achieve that,” Greenberg said.

Mal Meninga has hinted he may fight fire with fire and take a big gamble

IN the wake of the Prime Minister’s XIII hard-fought 34-18 win over PNG, Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has revealed he’s still tinkering with the final make-up of the team to play New Zealand on Saturday. It seemed a lock that polarising playmaker Ben Hunt would be handed the utility No.14 jersey, and that could still be the case, with the Dragons halfback producing a polished display at dummy-half in Port Moresby. However, Meninga has also hinted that he may in fact lean on hooker Damien Cook’s stamina and opt to take on the Kiwis with four forwards off the bench.

“We know Damien can play 80. So if he can get through 80 minutes fit and healthy then that’s good for the side,” Meninga said. “He may benefit from a little break, using his speed and his abilities. “We’re playing against big sides so do we pick a side to match their size or do we pick a side that’s got good speed, good footwork and can take advantage of that lateral speed?” If he does choose to take a utility player into the Mt Smart fixture, Hunt’s competition is versatile NSW Blues strikeweapon Tyrone Peachey, who played in the second-row for the PM’s XIII side. If Meninga’s post-match comments are anything to go by, Hunt is shading Peachey. “I thought (Hunt) was great, especially off the back of momentum early in the piece,” he said. “He’s a quality player. I thought he defended really well and I thought Peach was pretty good too.” The advantage of picking Peachey over Hunt is that he can play centre and in the back-row, and is a proven performer in every position of the spine.

Meninga undecided on Aust bench utility

Australian coach Mal Meninga is considering deploying a four-forward bench rotation to counter the might of powerhouses New Zealand and Tonga over the next fortnight. The make-up of the Kangaroos' side remains a mystery after utility options Ben Hunt and Tyrone Peachey both put their best foot forward in the Prime Minister's XIII's 34-18 win over Papua New Guinea on Saturday. Both the Kiwis and Mate Ma'a are expected to field monster packs and Meninga was toying with the idea of running four forwards off the bench.

South Sydney and NSW rake Damien Cook is guaranteed to start in the No.9 jersey however it remains to be seen if he will be given a breather at some point. "We know Damien can play 80. So if he can get through 80 minutes fit and healthy then that's good for the side," Meninga said. "He may benefit from a little break, using his speed and his abilities." During last year's World Cup, Meninga used versatile Cronulla back-rower Wade Graham off the bench as a fourth forward but he was chosen because of his ability to slot into the backline in case of injury. However, with Graham suffering a season-ending knee injury, Meninga was exploring a different ploy for the Kangaroos' end of year Tests. "I thought (Hunt) was great, especially off the back of momentum early in the piece," Meninga said. "He's a quality player. I thought he defended really well and I thought Peach was pretty good too. "We're playing against big sides so do we pick a side to match their size or do we pick a side that's got good speed, good footwork and can take advantage of that lateral speed?"