Tevita Pangai Jr has friends in high places at the Brisbane Broncos

Kevin Walters is facing a fresh push from within the Broncos to consider extending an invitation for Tevita Pangai Jr to return to the club.

Tevita Pangai Junior (left) and Payne Haas (right) are seen during Brisbane Broncos training at Clive Berghofer Field in Brisbane, Tuesday, June 2, 2020. The Broncos will play the Roosters in their round 4 match at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night. (AAP Image/Darren England) NO ARCHIVING

Brisbane’s senior leadership group have privately lobbied coach Kevin Walters to sign Tevita Pangai Jr amid a Broncos injury crisis that has claimed Payne Haas and Reece Walsh.

This masthead can reveal leading Brisbane stars, including Haas himself and vice-captain Pat Carrigan, have met with Walters appealing for Pangai Jr’s return to Red Hill to help the injury-ravaged Broncos.

Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds is also a huge fan of Pangai Jr and would support any move for Brisbane to issue a lifeline to an Origin and Test star they controversially offloaded in 2021.

It is understood Brisbane’s big guns first reached out to Walters six weeks ago, before a worrying injury toll that has left star trio Reynolds, Haas and Walsh in the casualty ward ahead of Friday night’s round 4 derby blockbuster against the Cowboys.

On Wednesday, Walters said he hadn’t ruled out signing Pangai Jr – the pair held informal talks in January – and the support of Brisbane’s most powerful players for the Tongan Test enforcer is significant.

Walters’ stance came just hours before the Broncos were rocked by fresh scan results which showed Haas, who missed Thursday night’s 34-12 loss to Penrith, required a minor knee operation.

Tevita Pangai Junior (left) and Payne Haas (right) are keen on a Broncos reunion. Picture: AAP Imag

To compound the Haas setback, superstar fullback Walsh suffered a facial fracture that will sideline him for four to six weeks – ruling him out of the Cowboys derby

With Haas sidelined for at least a month, Brisbane’s engine room has been depleted, leaving Roosters recruit Fletcher Baker, Corey Jensen, Martin Taupau and rookie Xavier Willison to shoulder midfield duties.

The Broncos’ stocks were already eroded by the off-season departure of grand-final forwards Tom Flegler (Dolphins), Kurt Capewell (Warriors) and Keenan Palasia (Titans), putting pressure on Haas to stay on the park.

Now that Brisbane’s No. 1 enforcer is going under the knife, there is a push for Walters to consider making a play for Pangai Jr, who is back in Brisbane’s feeder-club system.

The 28-year-old shocked Canterbury by quitting last August to take up professional boxing, but has since returned to rugby league, making his debut for Brisbane’s affiliate team Souths Logan in the Hostplus Cup a fortnight ago.

It is understood Haas and Carrigan have personally spoken to Walters about beefing-up their forward depth by adding Pangai Jr, who is prepared to play for the Broncos for less than $300,000 this season.

Haas has a strong friendship with Pangai Jr. The NSW Origin enforcer told News Corp last month he would relish reuniting with the Tongan torpedo, believing his power and aggression would give Brisbane a huge chance of breaking an 18-year premiership drought this season.

“Hopefully Tevita can come back (to the Broncos),” Haas said. “We’ll see what happens. Obviously you would love to have a player like Tevita at your club, but my focus is just on the team we have now.

“I feel like Tevita is in his prime now and if he ever did want to come back, it would be great. Everyone knows what kind of player he can be.”

Payne Haas and Tevita Pangai Jnr pictured from their stint with the Blues in 2023. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Pangai Jr was a polarising figure in his last stint at Red Hill.

He mixed brilliance with inconsistency and was embroiled in an off-field scandal in 2020 – breaching NRL rules by visiting a barber shop owned by bikies during the Covid pandemic – which ultimately led to his exit midway through 2021.

But there is a view the Broncos, having lost Flegler’s intimidation, are one big-gun forward shy of challenging for this year’s title and Pangai Jr is adamant he wouldn’t be a problem child in a second coming at Red Hill.

“I’m not too sure if the Broncos need anyone but if they want some experience, I’m available,” he said. “It would be great to play with guys like Payne and Patty.

“I’m a team player. The best players take less to win premierships, so if Brisbane need me, I’m ready to help out.”

Pangai had his fourth professional fight in Ipswich on Saturday night and plans to have two or three bouts a year, but is adamant boxing training would not be a distraction if he returned to the Broncos.

The Broncos are currently exploring the NRL player market for a cut-price forward. Pangai Jr could go into Brisbane’s salary cap at around $277,000 if he joined the Broncos just before the NRL’s June 30 transfer deadline in round 17.

Contacted after Brisbane’s loss to the Panthers, Walters said he is keeping an open mind on a Pangai Jr lifeline to beef-up Brisbane’s forward pack.

“At this stage, Tevita’s name hasn’t been discussed, but we’re keeping our options open,” he said.

Originally published as Tevita Pangai Jr has friends in high places at the Brisbane Broncos