The Mal Meninga Cup, known as the Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup due to sponsorship, is a junior rugby league football competition based in Queensland, played between teams made up of players aged under 18. The competition, administered by the Queensland Rugby League, features the junior representative teams of Queensland Cup clubs.[1][2]
 | |
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 2009 |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| Land |  Australien |
| Premiers |  Tweed Heads Seagulls (1st title) (2019) |
| Most titles |  Townsville Blackhawks (5 titles) |
| Website | www.qrl.com.au |
| Related competition | SG Ball Cup |
Since 2011, the winners of the Grand Final play the winners of the New South Wales’ under-18 competition, the SG Ball Cup, in the National Final.[3]
The Mal Meninga Cup is named after Mal Meninga, a 32-game Queensland representative and the most successful State of Origin coach of all time.[4]
Teams
The Mal Meninga Cup consists of fourteen clubs: thirteen based within in Queensland and one each in New South Wales. The competition currently operates on a single group system, after using a pool system for eight seasons.
Thirteen of the fourteen clubs are junior representative teams for Queensland Cup clubs. The Western Mustangs are the only team with no Queensland Cup affiliation.
Current clubs
Previous clubs
| Mal Meninga Cup | ||||||
| Club | Seasons | City | Stadium | Premierships (Last) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Central Crows
|
2011–2017 | Bundaberg, Queensland | Across the Waves Sportsground | 0 | ||
 Gold Coast Blue
|
2010 | Gold Coast, Queensland | Merv Craig Sporting Complex | 0 | ||
 Gold Coast Gold
|
2011–2012 | Gold Coast, Queensland | Pizzey Park | 0 | ||
 Gold Coast Green
|
2010–2016 | Gold Coast, Queensland | Pizzey Park | 0 | ||
 Gold Coast Vikings
|
2009 | Gold Coast, Queensland | Pizzey Park | 0 | ||
 Gold Coast White
|
2013–2016 | Gold Coast, Queensland | Pizzey Park | 0 | ||
 Northern Territory Rugby League
|
2009–2010 | Darwin, Northern Territory | Richardson Park | 0 | ||
 Victoria Rugby League
|
2015–2018 | Melbourne, Victoria | Casey Fields | 0 | ||
 Wests Panthers
|
2011–2012 | Brisbane, Queensland | Purtell Park | 0 | ||
 Wide Bay Bulls
|
2009 | Bundaberg, Queensland | - | 0 | ||
| ||||||
Grand Final results
| Season | Grand Finals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiers | Score | Runners-up | Venue | |
| 2009 |  Norths Devils
|
20–18 |  Townsville Stingers
|
Bishop Park |
| 2010 | Townsville Stingers
|
26–24 | Norths Devils
|
Langlands Park |
| 2011 | Norths Devils
|
28–10 | Townsville Stingers
|
Langlands Park |
| 2012 | Townsville Stingers
|
22–14 |  Redcliffe Dolphins
|
BMD Kougari Oval |
| 2013 | Redcliffe Dolphins
|
44–16 | Gold Coast White
|
Langlands Park |
| 2014 | Townsville Stingers
|
22–18 | Norths Devils
|
Barlow Park |
| 2015 | Townsville Stingers
|
30–24 | Easts Tigers
|
Tapout Energy Stadium |
| 2016 | Townsville Blackhawks
|
38–16 | Norths Devils
|
Suzuki Stadium |
| 2017 |  Western Mustangs
|
40–30 |  Souths Logan Magpies
|
Suzuki Stadium |
| 2018 | Souths Logan Magpies
|
18–16 | Norths Devils
|
Bishop Park |
| 2019 | Tweed Heads Seagulls
|
28–24 |  Wynnum Manly Seagulls
|
Kougari Oval |
| 2020 | Season cancelled | |||
| 2021 | Tweed Heads Seagulls
|
30–24 | Townsville Blackhawks
|
Jack Manski Oval |
See also
References
- ^ "David Fifita follows Meninga's path to greatness". NRL. 9 November 2018.
- ^ "Progress the focus in Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup". QRL. 9 March 2019.
- ^ "History against Tweed in under-18 league final". Queensland Times. 11 May 2019.
- ^ "Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup draw". QRL. 13 December 2019.