Tevita Pangai Jr has joined the Dolphins for the remainder of the NRL season to reunite with old mentor Wayne Bennett, only months after quitting the sport to pursue a career in boxing.
A former NSW representative forward, Pangai announced last August he would leave Canterbury at the end of the 2023 season, forgoing a salary of around $750,000 in 2024.
But the 28-year-old began angling for a return to rugby league in March this year while playing under ex-NRL star Karmichael Hunt at QRL side Souths Logan.
AAP reported last month Pangai had held informal talks with Brisbane and Melbourne.
But on Friday, Pangai signed a short-term deal to join the Dolphins under Wayne Bennett, the coach who handed him his NRL debut at the Broncos in 2016.
“I am really looking forward to Tevita getting back on the field and I am so glad it is with the Dolphins,” said Bennett.
“He is a good player that I have always enjoyed coaching, and I think he will be a strong addition to our squad.”
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Pangai played his best football under Bennett. When he was a youngster at Canberra and yet to play NRL, he got Bennett’s number and called him looking for an opportunity. His career took off thereafter.
