Australian Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has brushed off concerns he is “blinded” by loyalty after he announced a 21-man squad for the upcoming Pacific Championship Series.
Mal Meninga has named his 21-man squad for the inaugural Pacific Championship.
Debutants include Selwyn Cobbo, Thomas Flegler, Payne Haas, Kotoni Staggs and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow. #NRL pic.twitter.com/RA9VnS4cwK— SEN League (@SENLeague) October 2, 2023
Meninga was criticised by many for sticking by James Tedesco and Valentine Holmes, despite both having disappointing seasons and the latter being caught up in a ‘white-powder’ scandal weeks earlier.
With the likes of Dylan Edwards, Kalyn Ponga and Reece Walsh all being left out, Meninga defended his decisions and deflected any claims of his loyalty affecting the squad selection.
“I’m not blinded by loyalty, that’s a really important statement to make before we even get into this conversation,” Meninga told SENQ Mornings.
“Loyalty in my mind has its place in society, so certainly in professional sport, I’m loyal to those that have been loyal to me, (players) that have obviously had been successful in the past.
“We’ve grown together, I’m not blinded by loyalty at all.”
Meninga weighed in on the Holmes case, urging the fans to allow the Cowboys star to redeem himself after the off-season drama.
“In Val’s (Valentine) case, he made a big error, he’s admitted that which is really important, when you make a mistake, you have to be able to put your and take ownership for that, which he has,” Meninga added.
“The game has punished him for that… so, what do you want to do next? Do we keep on judging him on that?
“Or do we say, ‘Listen, there is a redemptive feature in everything we do, there’s certainly a redemptive feature in sport, we are young, we do make mistakes and we try to get on with our lives and become role models’.
“He’s got a story to tell now, this story he’s been through now, I think that’s going to help plenty of young people down the track.
“I’ve been working with Val for a long time, I know he’s a great person, he’s never let me down, realistically this is the first time he’s let the game down… he deserves to be in this footy team.
Australia kicks off its Pacific Championship Series campaign against Samoa on October 14in Townsville.