Tevita Pangai Jr makes his return to rugby league with Souths-Logan this weekend and his coach Karmichael Hunt has no doubt the powerhouse forward will eventually get back to the NRL.
The 28-year-old NSW and Tongan representative quit Canterbury last year to become a professional boxer, but has decided he can juggle both and wants to work his way back into the NRL via the Queensland Cup competition.
Souths-Logan Magpies coach Hunt confirmed Pangai would come off the bench against Redcliffe in round one on Saturday.
The Magpies are an affiliate club of the Brisbane Broncos. Pangai, who played 96 of his 138 NRL games with the Broncos, is a chance of getting a deal with Brisbane later in the season, when he would not be such a burden on their salary cap.
"Tevita is only 28 and as a middle forward he is coming into his best years," Hunt told AAP.
"His body is not too banged up, so as long as his mind and his determination is there - and it is there in spades at the moment - I think he can get back to his best at the NRL level.
"You don’t come across an Origin and Test match player sitting around in January without a contract.
"So when Tevita made the call and expressed his desire to return to play rugby league, we were more than happy to accommodate him."
Hunt was quick to respond when asked what had impressed him most so far about Pangai.
"It is his great attitude,” he said.
"I’ve been speaking to him in the last month at training about his desire to get back to the NRL, but also what he is doing to get himself ready for his boxing matches.
"I take my hat off to him. He has fitted into the group seamlessly with no arrogance whatsoever. He has earned his jersey, and the boys couldn’t be happier to have him as a teammate."
Dual international Hunt, who won the 2006 NRL title with the Broncos, understands what it is like to take risks. He went out on a limb and played AFL, then rugby union for the Wallabies, before returning to the NRL in 2021.
"It takes intimate understanding of what you are capable of when you venture into other sports and arenas that not many have done before you," Hunt said.
"As a result you don’t have too many supporters, because they have never seen it happen.
"You have to be your own biggest supporter, and Tevita is that. He has a great network around him and a lot of mates at the Broncos who believe in him."
Souths-Logan captain Rory Ferguson said the entire squad was "excited" to have Pangai on board.
"Tevita is going to bring the crowds and it will bring the level of the players up as they try and stop his offloads and power," Ferguson told AAP.
"I rate the fact that he doesn’t just think he can just walk back into an NRL team. He wants to play for Souths and build himself back up."
