NRL 2020: Tevita Pangai wants out of Brisbane Broncos in contract bombshell

The Brisbane Broncos have been rocked by the news star international Tevita Pangai Jr has been busted shopping himself to rival clubs.

Tevita Pangai Jr has left the Broncos in all sorts.

Broncos wrecking ball Tevita Pangai Jr has reportedly been busted shopping himself to rival clubs, plunging the under-pressure Brisbane club further into crisis.

The Tongan international is reported to have put himself on the open market after making contact with several clubs, including figures linked to the Roosters.

Pangai, however, on Wednesday night refuted the report, claiming he has spoken to Roosters supremo Nick Politis — but only as friends.

Pangai posted on Instagram he was only giving the Roosters chairman some grief about his decision last month to sell his shares in the Broncos.

Kayo is your ticket to the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership. Every game of every round Live & On-Demand with no-ad breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

“Phone has started blowing up. To clear things up I met Nick Politis a couple of years ago and we have stayed in touch,” Pangai wrote.

“He is a good man and I was giving it to him about selling his Broncos shares, nothing more.”

It comes just 12 months since the 24-year-old re-signed with the Broncos through to the end of the 2022 season on a three-year deal reported at the time to be worth more than $2 million.

The development is a devastating blow for the Broncos with the club still reeling from superstar forward David Fifita’s decision to sign with the Titans in the middle of the club’s worst ever season on the field.

Pangai’s backflip on his own club was first reported by Fox League’s James Hooper on NRL 360, where it was revealed Pangai himself has made contact with rival clubs, despite being under contract for more than two years.

“It came up that Tevita Pangai has been picking up the phone personally and ringing a number of figures in the game and essentially shopping himself around to find a different club for next season,” Hooper said.

Tevita Pangai Junior is reportedly a gun for hire.

“I must say I found it a bizarre move, but when I checked it, it’s emerged that he has telephoned the Roosters. Now the Roosters were interested in signing Tevita (12 months ago). He actually went to Trent Robinson’s house and met with Trent last year. That didn’t come to fruition. He signed a three-year-extension with the Broncos. So he’s there until the end of 2022. But he’s clearly unhappy.

“He signed at Brisbane to play under Wayne Bennett. There’s a number of players at the club who have since been moved on, who he was clearly close to. And I don’t think he’s happy with the direction that the club is heading in.”

NRL 360 host and reported front runner to be the Broncos’ next CEO Ben Ikin said it was “frightening” to think the club could lose both Fifita and Pangai.

“What frightens me is if Tevita Pangai wants out, the main reason I’m thinking that they could not keep David Fifita is that they signed Pangai to big money,” he said.

Co-host Paul Kent said the Broncos attempt to keep Fifita, Pangai, Matt Lodge and Payne Haas has fallen to pieces.

“It surprised everybody that they left Fifita to the last given they thought he has the most upside,” Kent said.

“Pangai is the most similar, they signed him, now there’s no money left for Fifita.

“If they’ve put all their emphasis on Pangai to hear that Fifita and now he wants to go as well.

“That’s a disaster for the Broncos. It confirms everything that goes on.

“It confirms everything that we’re all hearing, the Broncos sit up there in denial and say that everybody seems to have some agenda against the club and that everyone is talking about things that they don’t know about because they’re not in on the inside and they don’t know what we do at the club.

“The fact is that Pangai is on the phone to other clubs, other clubs on the quiet are confirming it. What’s that say?”

Pangai has been named to start for the Broncos in their Friday night grudge match with former coach Wayne Bennett’s South Sydney at ANZ Stadium.