Meninga settling in as a rep

Sports

By ISAAC LIRI
HAVING to debut for the Papua New Guinea Kumuls is an honour for every Papua New Guinean who dons the red, black and gold.
Obviously 25-year-old Moses Meninga is honoured to be part of the Kumuls side for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.
The former Mt Hagen Eagles player in the Digicel Cup has done enough to impress selectors and coach Michael Marum to earn himself a spot in the 23-man national team named last week.
This will hopefully add to a great debut year in the PNG Hunters.
Due to injury concerns mid-season, the trained social science secondary school teacher originally from Hagen Central in the Western Highlands, missed out on the Pacific test when the Kumuls beat Cook Islands in May but has followed through behind good mate Nixon Put.
“Nixon is a great player. We both played in the Digicel Cup and then we came into the Hunters this year and now we’ve made it all the way to the Kumuls,” Meninga said.
“For me I was nervous at first but I wanted to find out what usually happens in the professional level like this so I had to work hard.
“Now with Kumuls, it’s tough but I have my mates from the Hunters there and I am feeling comfortable and when I need help I ask them.
“The NRL boys who flew in are also open and friendly and I am settling down well,” Meninga said.
The 185cm tall forward said the highlight of his football career this year was winning the Intrust Super Cup grand final and then having to play the curtain raiser to the NRL grand final.
Obviously Meninga is no relation to the great Mal Meninga, the current Australian Kangaroos coach.
“Meninga is my father’s surname, in fact it’s my grandfather’s name and is derived from a tokples name.”