NRL signings: Tevita Pangai Junior returns to the NRL after signing with Dolphins
Tevita Pangai Junior is officially back in the NRL just a year after he quit the sport to become a boxer.
NRL
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The Dolphins have beefed up their forward pack for the rest of the season with Tevita Pangai Junior joining the club just a year after he quit the NRL to take up a boxing career.
The 28-year-old shocked the rugby league world last year when he quit the Bulldogs during the season to take up boxing, but that move didn’t work out well with Pangai returning to footy via the Queensland Cup.
The one-time NSW representative played three games with Souths Logan and will now add some much-needed muscle to a Dolphins pack that is without rep stars Tom Flegler and Tom Gilbert.
Pangai will start training with the NRL side next Monday after attracting interest from rivals including the Melbourne Storm.
“I am really looking forward to Tevita getting back on the field and I am so glad it is with the Dolphins,” Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett said.
“He is a good player that I have always enjoyed coaching, and I think he will be a strong addition to our squad.”
Bennett coached Pangai at the Broncos, while the new recruit also has a strong bond with assistant coach Kristian Woolf, who worked with him at Tonga.
“I am very much looking forward to being coached by both Wayne and Kristian Woolf as I have a long history with both of them,” Pangai said.
“I am excited about being back in the NRL again and re-establishing myself as a full-time NRL player as well as being part of what the Dolphins could do this season.”
Pangai will likely play in the middle as he looks to make an impact for a Dolphins side aiming to reach the finals in their second season.
Originally published as NRL signings: Tevita Pangai Junior returns to the NRL after signing with Dolphins
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