NEWS TPJ: some of us are looking at the stars

McHunt

McHunt

International Rep
Contributor
Aug 25, 2018
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Tevita Pangai Junior has finished his stint breaking rocks in the hot sun, ready to face Wynnum Manly this Friday night:

“It was a tough time, but I learnt a lot. It has made me grateful. I worked at a plant nursery. I was doing heaps of stock moving, out in the sun a lot and digging up a lot of soil. It was bloody hot in the green rooms, but I took it all as a positive experience. I made about $760 a week, it was well down on my Broncos pay. My Broncos salary helps pay for my family’s mortgage so I had to dip into my savings, but to have it (his NRL wage) taken away from me was definitely a reality check and I’m glad I learnt my lesson. The pay wasn’t so great but I was grateful that I got to learn what everyday people do and it was a wake-up call for how lucky we are as NRL players."

“I have been pretty blessed in my life. I actually left high school early to go into an NRL system, I have never had a 9-to-5 job, so it was an eye opener. It was tough work. I would get up at 4am to train, then I was at work for eight hours and training again in the afternoon. It was very humbling.”

“I don’t want to blow it all. I know the player I can be. I thought I was going to get punted."

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All out of bubblegum

“The Broncos actually gave me permission to negotiate, I was pretty much resigned to leaving. But my dad is a big Broncos fan and he didn’t want me to go, then when ’Kevvie’ (Kevin Walters) got the (coaching) job, he called me and said he didn’t want to lose me. He said he was looking forward to working with me and that meant a lot to me."

“This has given me a chance to self-reflect on the period I have had. This is my sixth year in the NRL now so eventually the penny has to drop. If you take your eye off the prize and what’s important, you pay the price, so I need to get back to what’s important. It was pretty daunting to front the board. I had to admit I did the wrong thing and I asked them for a second chance."

“I just feel like it‘s my last chance before I miss the bus. I remember seeing an interview with Roger Federer (tennis legend) and he was saying it’s easy to miss the bus when you are young and have all the talent, but don’t put in the hard work. I‘ve been watching the tennis and I watch someone like Ash Barty and the way she carries herself. She keeps her cool and is very balanced mentally. That’s the way I need to be."

“I played my last game at 121kg which was way too big for me, but I‘m down to 114kg, which is my playing weight when I play my best footy. I have watched what I ate and taken up some distance running. I did some boxing training and was running six or 10km so I‘m a lot fitter than I was last year. I can’t wait to get back playing again. It’s time to pay back the Broncos and their fans this year. I have made some mistakes and I want to change how I am perceived."

“I have to make the right choices now ... simple as that.”

McHunt
 
Was this a published PR piece or an actual one on one interview?
 
It would have to be some turnaround. In the lost cause and cap waste space for me.
 
He looks younger, shredded up.

If he can stay injury free, rip in and remove the brain explosions, he can be a hell of a player.

Good luck to him. I hope he kills it for us (and for himself).
 
How the hell was he allowed to get his weight up to 121kg when he says himself his best weight is 114kg? That's a fairly big difference. Is this not something the club doctors/physios/strength and conditioning people are supposed to keep an eye on?
 
How the hell was he allowed to get his weight up to 121kg when he says himself his best weight is 114kg? That's a fairly big difference. Is this not something the club doctors/physios/strength and conditioning people are supposed to keep an eye on?
He wasn't fat, he was huge with muscle mass by the looks of photos.

This is the BS with the midseason rule change. Over the last 2-3 years the Broncos built up the size of the pack via recruitment and training then BAM! With a flick of a switch the NRL change the rules to make a big pack a massive disadvantage.

I would not be surprised, honestly, if say teams the Broncos are top of the table in some miracle and teams like the titans, roosters and souffs are struggling then there is some rule change midseason that "needed to happen" to either slow or speed up the ruck for no apparent reason. People forget that in, I think it was 2019, when roosters won the premiership the NRL had a massive crack down on ruck infringements for a few rounds. The roosters and the storm REALLY struggled. Suddenly, despite it working, "the fans had enough" (I didn't speak to one fan that was against The crackdown btw) and the crackdown and rule interpretations stopped/changed. Who made the gf that year? Haha What a joke. There's not many, if any, sporting bodies that have such a massive say in who makes their gf the way the NRL does. Medical retirements, no fault stand down, no criteria for length of suspension or salary cap compensation for off field indiscretions by players, sometimes allowing replacement for injury lists and sometimes not, mid season rule changes and crack downs, "inconsistent" judiciary findings. Wake up people, the NRL has more say in the premiers then our memberships or support for our team will ever allow, and that is fucking disgusting. Scrap the salary cap, stop changing rules unless there's a 2 year run up, put some queenslanders and kiwis on the MRC and "allow" other teams to play our crappy Thursday and Friday night slots ffs..

Way off topic rant but.... meh....
 
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He wasn't fat, he was huge with muscle mass by the looks of photos.

This is the BS with the midseason rule change. Over the last 2-3 years the Broncos built up the size of the pack via recruitment and training then BAM! With a flick of a switch the NRL change the rules to make a big pack a massive disadvantage.

I would not be surprised, honestly, if say teams the Broncos are top of the table in some miracle and teams like the titans, roosters and souffs are struggling then there is some rule change midseason that "needed to happen" to either slow or speed up the ruck for no apparent reason. People forget that in, I think it was 2019, when roosters won the premiership the NRL had a massive crack down on ruck infringements for a few rounds. The roosters and the storm REALLY struggled. Suddenly, despite it working, "the fans had enough" (I didn't speak to one fan that was against The crackdown btw) and the crackdown and rule interpretations stopped/changed. Who made the gf that year? Haha What a joke. There's not many, if any, sporting bodies that have such a massive say in who makes their gf the way the NRL does. Medical retirements, no fault stand down, no criteria for length of suspension or salary cap compensation for off field indiscretions by players, sometimes allowing replacement for injury lists and sometimes not, mid season rule changes and crack downs, "inconsistent" judiciary findings. Wake up people, the NRL has more say in the premiers then our memberships or support for our team will ever allow, and that is fucking disgusting. Scrap the salary cap, stop changing rules unless there's a 2 year run up, put some queenslanders and kiwis on the MRC and "allow" other teams to play our crappy Thursday and Friday night slots ffs..

Way off topic rant but.... meh....

I love a good rant and this is a good one!
 
Nice to see a current player go back to the days where you trained early, worked all day and train in the evening to learn how good it is to be a professional. I love that we are able to allow our athletes to focus on their talent and ability to maximise their time in the sun, but as TPJ seems to have learnt a lot of very talented people play club football without the perks he gets. Hope he blasts a few people on their ass come game time.
 
If the TPJ's attitude is sincere , it will be interesting to see If KW can get all these blokes mentally and physically adept to his plan , because not until their all onboard , with a consolidated roster can the Kevolution begin .
 
Stoked to hear this from the big man, honestly my favorite player when he's on and I think he's going to have a great season if he can keep this positive attitude intact.
 

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