NRL: Tevita Pangai Junior in final throes of move to Bulldogs

Canterbury are on the verge of landing Tevita Pangai Junior and a deal for Paul Vaughan could be only days away as head of football Phil Gould kicks off his new stint at the club.

Tevita Pangai Junior looks headed to Sydney. Picture: Liam Kidston

Canterbury are on the verge of landing the prized signature of Tevita Pangai Junior and a deal for Paul Vaughan could be only days away as head of football Phil Gould kicks off his new stint at the club with two major signings.

Pangai Junior has been locked in talks with both the Bulldogs and Wests Tigers but a final decision on his future has been delayed as he finalises the terms of his departure from the Broncos.

It is understood Brisbane struck an agreement with Pangai Junior on Monday night, clearing the way for him to make an immediate departure.

The Bulldogs’ interest is primarily for next season, meaning there is a chance Pangai Junior could finish this year at another club before joining Canterbury in 2022.

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Regardless, The Australian was told that Canterbury had won the day with Pangai and he would form part of a new-look pack next season with former St George Illawarra prop Vaughan, who is on the lookout for a home after parting ways with the Dragons.

The Tigers were the initial favourites to land Pangai when The Australian first revealed some weeks ago that he been granted permission to go to the open market.

They then backed out of the race before re-entering at the 11th hour. However, their bid looks to have come up short as the Bulldogs continue their impressive rebuild heading into next year.

Pangai Junior will give them a powerful forward presence to complement the signings of Matt Dufty, Josh Addo-Carr and Matt Burton.

The next step for the Pangai camp will be to work out where to finish what is left of this season. If not the Bulldogs, Pangai Junior is likely to look for a club with something to play for.

Only a handful of sides would have the financial artillery to afford him even though the season has only three months to run. Parramatta are one of the few clubs with money to spend but have been linked with his Broncos teammate Anthony Milford.

While Pangai Junior edges towards the Bulldogs, Vaughan’s signature is being held up while Canterbury seek some clarity from the NRL around the conditions of his contract and how it would affect the eight-match ban he has been given for hosting

a party at his Shellharbour home a fortnight ago.

The next two weeks are set to be frantic as clubs scramble to sign players in the lead-up to the August 1 deadline. Pangai’s final decision will leave Melbourne forward Dale Finucane as the most prominent player yet to decide his future.

Finucane has a handful of clubs vying for his services and he is expected to make a final call later this week on where he will head next season.

Gold Coast, Newcastle and North Queensland lead the race for the NSW State of Origin representative, although St George Illawarra have also thrown their hat in the ring with the money they saved by sacking Vaughan.

The Dragons are also believed to be monitoring Wests Tigers utility Moses Mbye, having failed with a bid to take him some months ago.

St George Illawarra made an initial approach for Mbye some months ago but their offer was rejected by the Tigers. It seems hard to believe the Tigers will knock back a second approach and sources close to the Dragons confirmed they retained an interest in the former Queensland State of Origin player.

Mbye has one year remaining on a contract that pays him more than $800,000 a season and the Tigers would likely have to foot a fair chunk of that salary if he was to join the Dragons.