Origin wildcard Tevita Pangai jnr is a complex character who recently admitted to the Bulldogs he was having trouble living up to the pressure of his huge salary.
Pangai signed a deal with the Bulldogs in 2021 believed to be worth $2.2 million for three years. It was weighing so heavily on him that he told the club he may be better off elsewhere earning less money. It was a selfless offer that flies in the face of his image.
The club told him not to be too hard on himself and that they backed him to find some form as he came back from a calf injury that took two months to come good.
What it shows is that Pangai has a broader perspective of himself and his place in the game than he gets credit for; that he is a realist and actually cares about his form and his club. It shows there is more to him than people, other than his inner circle, realise. He has worked hard on his confidence with the assistance of Sonny Bill Williams and adviser Khoder Nasser.
“Sonny is someone who I look at and want to follow by example,” Pangai said. “The way he lives his life is an inspiration and, under his watch, I’ve stayed out of trouble. He is helping make me a better man. I’ve also been listening to Khoder. He gives me a lot of advice, a lot of speeches, and he gets me thinking the right way.”
Pangai has also been getting personal coaching from Willie Mason, who is showing promise as a forwards coach. Mason could prove to be a significant reason that Pangai finally fulfils his enormous potential.
Nasser sees him as a fighter, but TPJ can’t let his sporting ambitions stray beyond State of Origin. It’s something that he didn’t think would come his way.
“I can’t begin to tell you about my admiration for Brad Fittler,” Pangai said. “It takes a special person to forgive me for the silly and immature things that I said in the past … I can’t believe that he has. Not many people would put that to one side. And I want to repay his faith in me through my preparation and my performance.”
In 2018, after Pangai had decided to play for Tonga instead of NSW, he professed his love for the Maroons.
“As a kid I just went for Queensland,” Pangai said at the time. “There was a time there where I was living in Newcastle and my brother [Mosese Pangai] was at the Cowboys and I was trying to tell my parents, ‘let’s move to Queensland so I could try and play for Queensland’.”
During the week he admitted how silly those comments were.
Pressure mounts on Suaalii
The Roosters wanted it on the public record that they believed Rugby Australia had the money to take Joseph Suaalii off their hands next season. It may be why the story was leaked that they were considering releasing him early.
The club’s recent approach to Jason Ryles should have the teenage superstar on edge.
On Monday the Roosters were ready to let Ryles go because they didn’t like the distraction of his negotiations with St George Illawarra. Club great Jake Friend was being positioned to replace Ryles as an assistant to coach Trent Robinson.
Will Joseph Suaalii see out his contract at the Roosters?Credit: Getty
Ryles was miffed. He has not missed a beat in his current job and Cameron Ciraldo showed last year — when he helped the Panthers to a second straight title after signing to join the Bulldogs in 2023 — that you can win a competition and prepare for a new club.
What the Roosters’ approach to Ryles shows is they have no appetite for distraction in a difficult season. Ryles has been a sideshow, while Suaalii has been the main event after signing a massive deal to play rugby from 2025.
If the Roosters’ season continues to slide — they went into this weekend’s bye 11th on the ladder — the $700,000 that Suaalii is set to be paid next season will be viewed as money that could be spent on a player who will be at the club in the long term.
Young at heart
Rookie Blue Hudson Young has plenty of people to thank for his Origin debut, but none more than grandparents Val and Terry.
Young missed the 2019 grand final after he was suspended twice that season for eye gouging. He was also banned for 18 months after inadvertently taking an illegal substance while playing SG Ball for the Knights. He has succeeded almost in spite of himself.
“I probably wouldn’t change too much, to be honest, coming through,” Young said. “It’s created who I am today and created resilience.”
But he knows who was there for him in the tough times.“My nan and pop were massive for me,” he said. “I moved in with them [when I was] seven or eight when Mum and Dad split up. They took me to every game. Having five brothers was hard for Mum to be able to go and watch everyone. They stood in my corner, and they’re still there today.”
He said it was unlikely they would be able to make the trip to Adelaide, though. “They’ll be yelling at the TV screen, telling me to do things so, yeah, I can’t wait,” he said.
Streets ahead
Brad Fittler doesn’t seek any limelight for the good work he does away from football, but the people who run Street Side Medics in Sydney are quick to praise him.
Fittler took the Blues team to the streets to help out on Tuesday night. What is not as well publicised is that Fittler and his wife Marie are regulars, helping Street Side Medics provide medical care for homeless people most Monday nights. Freddy will often recruit his kids to help out.
Fittler’s adult life has been about giving back, and he is setting a standard for his family and football team. His broader outlook on life comes from spending time in situations like the one he is facing right now, where he has the pressure of guiding the Blues to a series win. He knows the enormity of the task he has in front of him to help the Blues, and ensure he keeps the top job as well.
Reality Trellavision
Latrell Mitchell is the NRL’s most charismatic character and on the field he is all show. It’s why Channel Nine’s State of Origin coverage will have a camera dedicated to him. Yes, it’s actually Trellavision. Don’t worry, Nine will also have a camera focused on old blue eyes, Reece Walsh.
Payne and suffering
Radio host Ray Hadley ripped into sections of the media for their sympathetic treatment of Payne Haas’ mum, but the player did not hide from the issue when I spoke to him during the week.
Hadley was fuming that there was a focus on the Haas family when Payne’s mother, Uiatu “Joan” Taufua, is charged with three counts of manslaughter following a car crash that claimed three lives on December 30 last year.
“I want to say to the people that have been impacted … they are in my thoughts, in my heart,” Haas said about the victims’ families.
Haas is a softly spoken giant and deeply religious. He has leant on his faith to help deal with the situation.
“I know how I can separate my life away from football to what I have to do,” he said. “I try my best to be the best I can be as a person. I’m not perfect, but I do know I have to be a role model to others, especially young kids, and I’m aware of that.”
Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould believes he has the potential to be the greatest prop in the history of the game, but Haas won’t let the praise affect him.
“I heard that, and it’s high praise … they are pretty cool comments, but I try not to think about those things,” Haas said. “I keep things simple and I try to do my job.”
You don’t know Jack
The Dragons’ ongoing loyalty to Jack de Belin is both admirable and impossible to understand.
It’s admirable they have stood by him, increased his wage and made him captain in the absence of regular skipper Ben Hunt. They obviously see something in De Belin others can’t.
It’s very difficult to comprehend why they have treated him as well as they have given all of the negative publicity he has brought to the club. He was stood down for two years under the NRL’s no-fault rule after being charged with sexual assault following an incident in 2018.
Following two trials, de Belin was eventually found not guilty of one sexual assault charge, while the jury was unable to reach a verdict on five other charges. De Belin then attended the infamous barbecue at Paul Vaughan’s house during the COVID lockdown.
Stand-in Dragons captain Jack de Belin.Credit: Getty
The decision to hand him the captaincy on Thursday backfired to a large degree when he was sin-binned. It’s hard to know if he has learnt from his behaviour off the field. While he has not been found guilty of any charges, he needs to show that he has changed. For example, when authorities arrived at the Vaughan barbecue, de Belin hid under a bed. That doesn’t sound like he’s learnt any lessons or matured. Clearly the Dragons think differently.
Strong ashes order
The Ashes are near and Channel Nine has added Aaron Finch to its coverage. Finch showed as captain of Australia’s white-ball teams that he has plenty of insight to offer.
Hosted by Roz Kelly, Nine’s commentary team will be made up of former Australia captain Mark Taylor, Ashes winner Ian Healy, World Cup-winning captain Finch and former internationals Callum Ferguson and Steve O’Keefe. Taylor will be joined at all five Tests by Louise Ransome.
Former internationals Rachael Haynes and Elyse Villani, plus host Emma Lawrence, join for the women’s Ashes.
Stream the NRL Premiership 2023 live and free on 9Now.
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