Tevita Pangai has survived the axe by the skin of his teeth

Tevita Pangai Junior will be forced to adhere to a strict set of rules or his contract will be immediately torn up by the Brisbane Broncos

Tevita Pangai Junior has effectively been put on a good-behaviour bond by the Broncos hierarchy.

Tevita Pangai Junior remains a Brisbane Bronco by the skin of his teeth. If he wants to stay that way, he must adhere to the strictest set of rules placed on an NRL player in recent memory.

Any slip-up and his contract will be torn up. Having breached biosecurity rules and given little initial indication that he could adhere to them during talks with the NRL and his club, the Broncos were believed to be leaning towards tearing up his $2.1m deal as late as last week.

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 >

However, as revealed in The Australian on Monday morning, the mood changed last Friday when Pangai Jr fronted the board and convince Brisbane powerbrokers that he was committed to the club.

That commitment will now be put to the test after the Broncos outlined a series of rules that he must adhere to over the next 12 months or have his contract immediately terminated.

Tevita Pangai Jr has cost himself $100,000. Picture: Annette Dew

The list is long and demanding. Pangai Jr will sit out the remainder of the 2020 season without pay — effectively costing him upwards of $100,000 — and be removed from the Project Apollo bubble.

He must begin a mentoring program with someone approved by the club for the next 12 months. He must work in a job organised by the mentor for the remainder of the 2020 season.

He must get off social media and only engage with media when approved by the club. He must return to pre-season later this year in good condition.

Do all that and Pangai Jr will be able to keep his lucrative contract. Put a foot out of line and he can kiss goodbye his future at the Broncos.

“The penalties are severe enough to act as a deterrent to him doing it again,” chair Karl Morris said.
“He wanted a second chance. That is what we have given him. We look forward to him coming back strongly for us next year.”

Kevin Walters is a contender for the Broncos job.

The Broncos board also discussed their pursuit of a coaching replacement for Anthony Seibold on Monday afternoon. It is understood the club will go through a process that extends beyond simply interviewing the raging hot favourites for the role — Kevin Walters and Paul Green.

The Broncos will cast the net, although the sense is that Walters and Green will fight it out. At the same time, both men will not be given sole say over their support staff, as was the case with Seibold.

The club is also expected to conduct a holistic review of their football department as they look to ensure the future coach is surrounded with enough support to make sure they are successful.

The club is in no rush to appoint a coach but whoever gets the role will no doubt take delight from the news that Pangai Jr is staying. The Tongan international is one of the most damaging forwards in the game on his day, although those days have been too infrequent this year.

Still, with the loss of David Fifita to the Gold Coast at the end of the season, the Broncos could ill-afford to wave goodbye to another strike weapon.

Jonathan Thurston, left, with Broncos contender Paul Green at the Horn-Tszyu fight last week. Picture Peter Wallis

It is understood two of the primary coaching candidates for the Broncos job reached out to Pangai Jr last week and encouraged him to do everything in his power to remain at the club.

They now have their wish, albeit on the proviso that Pangai Jr toes the line over the next 12 months. If he wants to stay a Bronco, he has no choice.

The club released a statement late on Monday confirming their decision and making it clear any further breaches would be met with the strongest possible action.

Pangai wasted no time falling into line. He shut down his Instagram account on Monday afternoon.

“At the hearing, the player offered both genuine remorse and an apology to everyone connected to the club,” the Broncos said in their statement.
“It was also acknowledged that the recent course of behaviour he displayed leading to this breach was not indicative of his past behaviour, and the board took that into consideration.

“If Mr Pangai Junior breaches any part of his employment agreement or these terms during the 12-month period during which the termination is suspended, then the club can immediately implement its decision to terminate his employment.
“If at the end of that 12 month period Mr Pangai Junior has complied with all the above requirements then the board will rescind its decision to terminate his employment.”