Mal Meninga Cup
Pixels200px
SportRugby league
Inaugural2009
Teams15
CountryAustralia
HeadquartersBrisbane, Australia
ChampiontagPremiers
ChampionTweed Seagulls (3rd title)
Most champsTownsville Blackhawks
Count5
Websitewww.qrl.com.au
Related compsSG Ball Cup

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]

Since 2011, the winners of the Grand Final play the winners of the New South Wales’ under-18 competition, the S.G. 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 fifteen clubs: fourteen based in Queensland and one in New South Wales. The competition currently operates on a single group system, after using a pool system for eight seasons.

Fourteen of the fifteen clubs are junior representative teams for Queensland Cup clubs.
The Wide Bay Bulls currently have no Queensland Cup affiliation.

Current clubs

Mal Meninga Cup
ClubEst.CityStateStadiumTitles (Last)
Brisbane Tigers1917BrisbaneQueenslandTotally Workwear Stadium0
Burleigh Bears1934Gold CoastQueenslandUAA Oval0
Central Queensland Capras1996RockhamptonQueenslandBrowne Park0
Ipswich Jets1982IpswichQueenslandNorth Ipswich Reserve0
Mackay Cutters2007MackayQueenslandBB Print Stadium Mackay0
Northern Pride2007CairnsQueenslandBarlow Park0
Norths Devils1933BrisbaneQueenslandBishop Park2 (2011)
Redcliffe Dolphins1947RedcliffeQueenslandKayo Stadium2 (2023)
Souths Logan Magpies1918BrisbaneQueenslandDavies Park2 (2022)
Sunshine Coast Falcons1996Sunshine CoastQueenslandSunshine Coast Stadium0
Townsville Blackhawks1998TownsvilleQueenslandJack Manski Oval5 (2016)
Tweed Seagulls1909Tweed HeadsNew South WalesPiggabeen Sports Complex3 (2023)
Western Clydesdales1996ToowoombaQueenslandClive Berghofer Stadium1 (2017)
Wide Bay Bulls2009BundabergQueenslandVarious Venues0
Wynnum Manly Seagulls1951BrisbaneQueenslandBMD Kougari Oval0

* Brisbane Tigers played as Easts Tigers from 2009 to 2020.

  • CQ Capras played as Central Comets from 2009 to 2011.
  • Townsville Blackhawks played as Townsville Stingers from 2009 to 2015.
  • Western Clydesdales played as Toowoomba Clydesdales from 2009 to 2016 and Western Mustangs 2017 to 2021.
  • Wide Bay Bulls rejoined the competition in 2021.

Previous clubs

Mal Meninga Cup
ClubSeasonsCityStateStadiumTitles (Last)
Central Crows2011–2017BundabergQueenslandAcross the Waves Sportsground0
Gold Coast Blue2010Gold CoastQueenslandMerv Craig Sporting Complex0
Gold Coast Gold2011–2012Gold CoastQueenslandPizzey Park0
Gold Coast Green2010–2016Gold CoastQueenslandPizzey Park0
Gold Coast Vikings2009Gold CoastQueenslandPizzey Park0
Gold Coast White2013–2016Gold CoastQueenslandPizzey Park0
North. Territory2009–2010DarwinNorth. TerritoryRichardson Park0
Victoria2015–2018MelbourneVictoriaCasey Fields0
Wests Panthers2011–2012BrisbaneQueenslandPurtell Park0
  • Central Crows played as Central United from 2011 to 2013.

Grand Final results

SeasonGrand Finals
style="color:maroon;" "width:15%;" |Premiersstyle="color:maroon;" "width:06%;" |Scorestyle="color:maroon;" "width:15%;" |Runners-upstyle="color:maroon;" "width:15%;" |Venue
2009Norths Devils20–18Townsville StingersBishop Park
2010Townsville Stingers26–24Norths DevilsLanglands Park
2011Norths Devils28–10Townsville StingersLanglands Park
2012Townsville Stingers22–14Redcliffe DolphinsBMD Kougari Oval
2013Redcliffe Dolphins44–16Gold Coast WhiteLanglands Park
2014Townsville Stingers22–18Norths DevilsBarlow Park
2015Townsville Stingers30–24Easts TigersTapout Energy Stadium
2016Townsville Blackhawks38–16Norths DevilsSuzuki Stadium
2017Western Mustangs40–30Souths Logan MagpiesSuzuki Stadium
2018Souths Logan Magpies18–16Norths DevilsBishop Park
2019Tweed Heads Seagulls28–24Wynnum Manly SeagullsKougari Oval
2020Season cancelled
2021Tweed Heads Seagulls30–24Townsville BlackhawksJack Manski Oval
2022Souths Logan Magpies38–26Townsville BlackhawksSunshine Coast Stadium[5]
2023Redcliffe Dolphins36-18Townsville BlackhawksTotally Workwear Stadium
2024Tweed Seagulls36-12Burleigh BearsKayo Stadium

See also

References

  1. ^ "David Fifita follows Meninga's path to greatness". NRL. 9 November 2018.
  2. ^ "Progress the focus in Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup". QRL. 9 March 2019.
  3. ^ "History against Tweed in under-18 league final". Queensland Times. 11 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup draw". QRL. 13 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Blackhawks v Magpies - Grand Final". qrl.com.au. Retrieved 22 July 2022.