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He is unlikely to make his NRL return with the Dolphins but Tevita Pangai Junior is still happy to cop constructive criticism from master coach Wayne Bennett.
Nine cameras spotted Pangai Junior mixing happily with Dolphins officials during the club’s 38-0 hammering of the Dragons on Sunday.
Pangai Junior – who is preparing for Saturday’s ‘The Fists and The Furious’ boxing clash with New Zealand’s Raphael Sa’u – got his NRL start under then Broncos coach Bennett in 2016-18.
The Fists and The Furious is live and exclusive on Stan Sport this Saturday from 6.30pm AEDT, and is included free with a Stan Sport subscription
And Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett had previously stoked the flames of a reunion by declaring the expansion club had “millions of dollars” to play with under the salary cap.
Bennett watched Pangai Junior’s league return for the Souths Logan Magpies against the Dolphins in round one of the Queensland Cup earlier this month.
“I wasn’t as impressed as his coach (Karmichael Hunt),” Bennett said.
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Pangai Junior copped that Bennett jab on the chin in an interview with Wide World of Sports.
“Yeah, I’d say he’s spot on,” the 28-year-old said.
“I didn’t do a preseason and I didn’t do any contact going into the game. So, yeah, I was a bit rusty in my first game back but I must have done something right because he still called me.”
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“It was nothing about going to the Dolphins,” Pangai Junior insisted.
“It was just seeing how I was, seeing how the kids were, how my family was now I’m back in Brisbane, and how the boxing’s going.
“He was the reason why I went to the Broncos in the first place. I love being coached by Wayne but at the moment I’m not too sure what’s going to happen.”
Magpies coach Hunt has allowed Pangai Junior to mix boxing with Queensland Cup commitments this season.
The Magpies are a Broncos feeder club and Pangai Junior admitted a return to Red Hill next season was the dream.
“Yeah, 100 per cent, Broncos would be a great fit. I’m obviously in the feeder club with Souths Logan and so I’m doing it the right way,” he said.
“Going through the grassroots and if they’re keen to sign me hopefully I’ll be ready… either that or I’ll just continue boxing.
“I love Brisbane though. I won’t be leaving Brisbane anytime soon.”
Pangai Junior is 3-0 as a professional boxer and hoped to arrange “three or four” more fights this year after Saturday.
His said his body hadn’t changed much since leaving the NRL.
“Inactivity is no good for heavyweights. I work hard, that’s similar but just different physical demands. A lot more running, a lot more skipping and a lot more punching.”
