Pangai Jr to donate match payments as part of return to Souths Logan
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Tevita Pangai Jr’s return to rugby league and the Souths Logan Magpies started out as a bit of a joke with his mate, Justin Hodges.
The former Brisbane Broncos duo – who have both turned to boxing - were on the same fight card in October last year.
Pangai Jr had two months earlier finished up with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL, announcing his retirement to give his full focus to his new sporting career.
But when he saw Souths Logan assistant coach Hodges, he made a joke that would eventually become a truth.
“I had a little joke with him,” Pangai Jr said.
“I told him I was keen to play if they wanted me to come play and to tell Karmichael.
“My main thing at that point in time was to get back to Brisbane and back with my boxing trainer. I always knew I could do the juggle but I wanted to come back to Brisbane first.
“It turns out he didn’t tell Karmichael. When I was sure I was coming back, I called Hodgo first and then Karmichael. K said Hodgo didn’t even tell him.”
The star forward – who previously played with Souths Logan through the Broncos’ affiliation system – said while he was very dedicated to his boxing career and has had to sell that point of view, he had never let go of his love for rugby league.
Being back home in Queensland, he knows playing at the Hostplus Cup level allows him to juggle both careers and he is ready to get back on the field.
“I’m excited,” Pangai Jr said.
“I just took some time away to come back to Brisbane and I’ve always missed Brisbane and me and my wife missed being home. It’s good to be home and good to be back boxing.
“So I just thought, ‘why not?’. I am a footy head and love the game.
“When I spoke to K, he said he was definitely keen to have me and would try to get me some money but I’m making some decent money in my boxing. I just wanted to come back and give back.”
Because he is playing purely for the love of the sport and is supported financially through his boxing and previous NRL career, Pangai Jr is in a comfortable enough position that none of his match payments this year will go into his own pocket.
Instead the 28-year-old is working with Souths Logan to see his match payments go towards charities in Logan and Ipswich that base their work around fixing youth crime and helping the next generations.
For Pangai Jr, he knows he is lucky to have escaped a troublesome childhood thanks to his parents and their ability to keep him in sporting circles.
“My passion is youth crime… anything that is working with young kids, troubled kids, within the Logan and Ipswich areas,” Pangai Jr said.
“It means so much to me because I was in the same position as those kids and could have easily went down that path.
“But my parents put sport on me and it kept me out of trouble. Sport saved me. My big thing was to buy my parents a house and the only way I knew I could do that was through sport.
“That’s what sucked me into sport.”
Pangai Jr will make his return to rugby league as soon as this weekend, when he runs out for the Magpies in their Round 1 clash against Redcliffe Dolphins at Kayo Stadium.
He said he was excited to see what 2024 would bring, especially after Souths Logan’s impressive 2023 season that saw them finish second on the Cup ladder.
Pangai Jr knows he has a job to do and the team has its own goals as they look to go a few steps further than last year.
“I’m just happy to play at this level,” he said.
“Karmichael’s been really flexible with me with my training and boxing. I’m really appreciative at the moment. I definitely won’t rule out the NRL in the future though.
“This weekend, I’m just going to try to be nice and explosive off the bench.
“My minutes will be capped because I have a fight in two weeks but I will make sure I give 100 per cent and leave nothing on the field.
“I think if I can run hard, put the offload away, bend the line, play the ball fast… the simpler, the better for me. Sometimes I overcomplicate it but I need to get back to being a hard-nosed front rower.
“It’s just more of that consistency for Souths this year.
“There was a bit of a fade out last season so if we can all do our jobs and focus on ourselves and come together as a group, that’s a good goal to start with and start the year strong.”
