NO PHIN GOING, TEVITA
Benny rules out lifeline
Dolphins super coach Wayne Bennett has ruled out a lifeline for his former protege Tevita Pangai Jr – opening the door for arch rivals the Broncos to bring the Origin star home to Red Hill.
Pangai Jr quit the NRL six months ago to take up professional boxing, but is weighing up a shock return to rugby league after meeting with Broncos coach Kevin Walters a fortnight ago.
The former NSW Origin enforcer has signed a two-fight deal for bouts in March and May with a view to potentially returning to the NRL for a midseason cameo after June.
It is understood the Broncos are open to the idea if they can afford Pangai Jr under the salary cap, while the 27year-old also shares a close bond with Bennett, the man who gave ‘TPJ’ his NRL debut in 2016.
As a teenager, Pangai Jr quit Canberra and personally phoned Bennett because he wanted to be mentored by the legendary coach, sparking an association that brought the blockbusting forward to the Broncos.
Now training and living in Brisbane, Pangai Jr is realistically only eyeing two NRL clubs for a comeback – the Broncos or Dolphins – but Bennett is adamant the Tongan torpedo won’t be seen at Redcliffe.
“Tevita is a very gifted player but we have our squad in place and we’re very happy with what we’ve got,” Bennett said.
“Look, I have a history with Tevita, he came to the Broncos because he wanted to be coached by me and I have a lot of time for him as a person.
“But the reality is Tevita has made his decision to move on with boxing and he hasn’t been in our thoughts.
“There’s no doubt Tevita could come back and make it again in the NRL, but I’ve got a quality forward pack and our salary cap is pretty full.”
The Dolphins boast one of the most decorated forward packs in the NRL. Former Broncos hardman Tom Flegler is a marquee off-season recruit and he will add more class to a Dolphins pack that features representative hardheads Tom Gilbert, brothers Jesse and Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi. NRL legends Mat Rogers and Scott Sattler have slammed the idea of Pangai Jr coming back to the NRL and Bennett is wary of destabilising his squad ahead of the Dolphins’ second season.
“I don’t mind pressure for spots, but not to the point where you piss players off who think they have no chance of playing NRL because Tevita is in front of them,” Bennett said.
“We’ve added Tom Flegler from the Broncos and if you look at our best 17, there’s a few very good forwards who are going to miss the starting side.
“If I brought Tevita back, that adds more pressure on everybody.”