Broncos stars Tevita Pangai Jr, Matt Lodge sign new deals
On the day Matt Lodge completed his NRL resurrection with a two-year upgrade, Brisbane were also celebrating blockbusting forward Tevita Pangai Jr formally signing a new deal.
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Brisbane have completed their $2 million retention spree with blockbusting forward Tevita Pangai Jr formally signing a new deal with the Broncos.
Pangai Jr’s Broncos cohort Matt Lodge completed his remarkable NRL resurrection by inking a two-year upgrade, his extension rubber-stamped just 24 hours after winger Corey Oates signed a 12-month deal.
Now Pangai Jr is the final big-name top-liner to finalise his future. The Broncos are expected to announce a one-year deal for the Tongan international as early as Friday.
A short-term contract still leaves Pangai Jr open to being poached by Wayne Bennett at Souths for the 2020 season, but Lodge is confident his good mate will remain at Red Hill for the long haul.
“Tevita won’t leave, he will be here, I won’t let him go,” said Lodge, who is tied to the Broncos until the end of 2020.
“I won’t be urging him to leave, that’s for sure.
“Tevita can be a freak.
“It’s good that I am close with him because we just have to work on being consistent on the field next season.
“We get together off the field and it helps us stay on track. We need to step up even more next year with guys like Josh McGuire and Sam Thaiday leaving.
“If we have a dud season (in 2019), it won’t be good.”
Pangai Jr played 22 games last season and produced some barnstorming performances that saw him labelled Brisbane’s version of Cowboys wrecking ball Jason Taumalolo.
But he was also left frustrated by a series of hamstring injuries which have prompted the 22-year-old to undergo intensive off-season rehabilitation to strengthen his frame.
The 113kg forward held talks with Newcastle coach Nathan Brown just a month before the NRL finals, but said last month he never seriously considered quitting the Broncos.
“I looked at the Newcastle set-up but it was a curiosity thing,” he said while holidaying in America.
“I am from Newcastle and my best mates are there, so naturally I was keen to look at their set-up.
“They are going to be a strong club in the next few years so they were attractive, but I feel like I can play my best football at the Broncos.”
If any player was tipped to follow Bennett out of Red Hill, it was Lodge.
When the prop was banned from the code for two years following his alcohol-fuelled episode while holidaying in America, it was Bennett who threw him a lifeline with a basic Broncos contract.
Lodge will always be indebted to Bennett’s mentoring, but says he couldn’t walk away from a Broncos club that rallied around him during a firestorm of criticism over his NRL registration earlier this season.
“It (a new contract) is something I’ve worked towards for a long time,” he said.
“I wasn’t ready to leave Brisbane. I’m glad I’m here and I can keep working hard.
“I took the coaching situation out of it. Brisbane got behind me, the fans and members and we have a good group of people here.
“It’s not just the coach (Bennett), everyone from the top of the club to the bottom has helped me out a lot.
“I took that into account.
“I definitely feel welcome here. (Queensland) is not my home, Sydney is my home, all my family are down there, but I’m willing to sacrifice living away from them because I enjoy being up here and the squad we have at the Broncos.”
Lodge said the darkest moment of his life in New York three years ago has made him appreciate his upgraded Broncos deal.
“I just believe once you have nothing, you appreciate everything that comes your way,” he said.
“I am very grateful for the contract and the opportunity to play on.
“This time 12 months ago, I didn’t have a pre-season because I had to go down to Sydney for some family stuff.
“It’s good to come back with a fresh year and hopefully get some new results.”
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