Brisbane coach Kevin Walters has not ruled out giving Tevita Pangai Jr an NRL lifeline later this season. Pangai shockingly abandoned rugby league last year to pursue boxing full-time, having struggled for form and motivation at the Bulldogs and had a disappointing State of Origin debut. However, he reappeared this season during Broncos training sessions before making a modest return to football with Souths Logan in the Queensland Cup.
On Wednesday, the 28-year-old said on the radio that if a possibility with Melbourne arose, he would pursue it. The next day, Walters was questioned about why Brisbane had not offered Pangai a deal.
“I don’t want to talk about Tevita too much, but we obviously know where he is,” stated Walters. “He obviously still has his boxing career going on, and with our salary cap, we can’t afford him right now.” We have to wait a couple more weeks. “We’ll wait and see; we’re constantly looking for new players that can bring value to our roster. “If we believe at the right time that Tevita can do that, we will certainly look at it.” NRL clubs can call on lower-grade players in the second half of the season as needed.
With the Broncos already missing numerous stars due to injury, and the Origin period expected to take even more players away, Brisbane may need to cover some holes. It would also imply that bringing Pangai back into the mix would not cause problems with the club’s pay cap. Pangai began his NRL career with the Brisbane Broncos, where he played 96 games until being released.
While he spent a brief period in retirement and has dabbled in boxing, Walters believes the aggressive forward still has plenty to offer in rugby league.
“We are all aware of his talents, and maybe the boxing career has been good for him,” Walters said.
“It’s certainly an individual sport and it makes you realise you’re out there by yourself in the ring… whereas rugby league is more a team environment.
“You’ve got to do things sometimes that you don’t want to do to help your teammate out.
“Maybe it’s opened up some light there for him, but he’s certainly got great ability as a footballer.
“While he’s still ready and available, he wants to play in the NRL, so I’m sure there would be plenty of clubs chasing him.”
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