I would stop writing about this sort of thing if Mal Meninga would just chill out, look how many series he has won as the Queensland Maroons coach, and started enjoying life a little rather than being so angry about things.
In the latest round of “Things Mal Said” Mal Meninga has claimed that New South Wales are “crying poor” in regards to the injuries they are having to deal with.
“They are crying poor at the moment and they are losing … that’s the only reason.”
“We have some great depth, but nowhere near as good as them. We are 20 per cent of the population in the NRL and they are 52 per cent, I think.”
Hey Mal, the series hasn’t even started yet! How could anyone be crying poor over injuries?
It would be nice if Meninga’s numbers stacked up in terms of how many players both states can choose from. I guess those numbers don’t matter when the QRL keeps recruiting players from northern NSW and other countries as well. Kinda even’s things up and doesn’t let him cry poor over the player pool he selects from.
It is a bit strange to me as I read a lot of the Rugby League media and general buzz about the game and I haven’t really seen anyone from the New South Wales Blues camp saying a great deal about injuries.
Most of the talk I have seen from New South Wales supporters has been about the makeup of the halves, and none of the talk has really mentioned injuries at all.
The vast majority of NSW players that are injured at the moment have all said they will be fully fit for game one, so I’m not too sure where this is all coming from.
Mal Meninga perceives it to be happening, and perception is reality in many cases. Maybe from afar, doing what ever it is Mal Meninga does when he isn’t coaching the United States Of Queensland to State Of Origin victories, he has picked up on a vibe. Maybe Mal Meninga is the Blues canary in the coal mine, signaling danger before we are even aware of it.
If numerous Blues players are struck down with injury, I want Mal Meninga picking my lottery numbers the following week!
