Meninga keen to make mark

By MELTON PAIS
HE may share the same name as one of the most decorated rugby league players in history but high school teacher Moses Meninga from Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, is living his own dream after securing a spot in the Papua New Guinea SP Hunters squad for the 2017 season.
Hagen Eagles lock forward Meninga from the Moge tribe, in the Hagen district, may be a world away from Queensland and Australian legend Mal Meninga, but they have one thing in common – their passion for the sport.
Moses Meninga contributes a valuable commodity to coach Michael Marum’s squad – height.
Standing 184cm and weighing 98kg, Meninga is expected to play a part in the Hunters campaign especially in the absence of key forwards Timothy Lomai, Brandy Peter, Benji Hetra and Adam Korave, who did not make the final 29-man squad for various reasons.
The 24-year-old was plucked from Digicel Cup finalists, the Eagles, in the off-season and has made it through two tough pre-season camps to prove his worth.
He told The National that rugby league had not been a priority in high school but somehow he fell into the sport after completing a bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Goroka in 2014
Things fell into place that year while he was teaching in his home town.
“I didn’t have any plans to play serious rugby league but becuase I was in Hagen teaching, I decided to play and I made the Eagles in 2014,” Meninga said.
The fact that he had not played the sport regularly did not bother the Eagles management, who happily drafted him into their squad.
Meninga has other players he looks up to and who inspire him.
Senior Hunters props Henry Wan, a fellow Western Highlander, and Essau Siune are two men he admires for their ability and work ethic.
With the return of the two Albert brothers, Stanton and Wellington, Meninga is expected to slot into the second row or at lock.
With the chance given to him at the Hunters, Meninga said he wanted to see how far he could go with a Prime Minister’s XIII berth as well as a Kumul jumper and other goals on his mind.
He’s got the talent and size and with a name like “Meninga” success is probably just around the corner