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It would appear that Mal Meninga is the kind of person who gets a bit antsy when he finds himself on the receiving end of things he just doesn’t like.
He’s got form in this area, apparently.
From becoming upset with Ricky Stuart’s hi-jinx on a Canberra team bus trip, when he pretended to snore during a Mal speech, through to one particular occasion when it was of a more serious nature.
I’m sure many of you will remember when, back in 2005, Meninga was accused of assaulting a man at PJ O’Reilly’s pub in Canberra? He claimed he had acted in self-defence and that he would present evidence of a racial slur to the court to vindicate his actions.
Now, whilst I’ll grant you he was acquitted of the assault charge on that occasion, it still remains a fact that he did strike someone (and possibly more than once) and it would appear that this is because that knee-jerk reactions are his way of dealing with situations he finds unpalatable.
It seems that Meninga is someone who likes to lash out rather than ‘turn the other cheek’, so to speak. (For the record, the chap in question suffered facial and dental injuries when punched by Meninga who, indeed, admitted to the blow/s).
In this latest instance, however, exacting physical revenge on Ricky Stuart, Greg McCallum and Phil Rothfield et al is simply not on the cards, so a verbal bashing had to suffice.
I think everyone would agree, that reference to ‘rats’ and ‘filth’ towards other rugby league luminaries is hardly the type of language one would expect from the mouth of an “Immortal-in-Waiting”.
But what intrigues me most about his diatribe, however, is that much of his vitriol was aimed at the New South Wales media.
This brings me to an interesting question.
I must admit I can’t say that I know just who Rugby League Week’s journalists are, at present, but don’t they still decide on who the next “Immortal” is to be?
If this is still the case, I reckon there’s going to have to be a healthy sprinkling of Queensland scribes on that panel for Big Mal to get a gong as an Immortal anytime soon.
Sadly, it seems that one of rugby league’s all-time biggest and best is perhaps just a little too precious at times and it just may have cost him big time on this occasion.
As my seven-year old son would say, “Mal, suck it up petal.”
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