Tevita Pangai bombshell exposes Brad Fittler in fresh State of Origin controversy

OPINION

Brad Fittler's decision to pick an out-of-form Tevita Pangai for State of Origin I was rightly criticised at the time. And it looks even worse now that Pangai has announced he's quitting the NRL to take up boxing full time.

The Canterbury Bulldogs forward dropped an absolute bombshell on Tuesday night when he revealed he will walk away from rugby league at the end of the season to take up boxing. The 27-year-old, who makes a reported $750,000-per-year at the Bulldogs, informed the club of his desire to focus on family and fighting.

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Pangai has two professional boxing bouts under his belt and holds a 2-0 record. He beat Gerico Cecil by technical knockout in December 2021, before knocking out Jerry Tupai last December.

"We would like to thank Tevita for his contribution to the club," Bulldogs football boss Phil Gould said on Tuesday night. "We are well aware of his talent as an athlete and are fully supportive of his decision to pursue another sport at the season's end. We wish him and his family all the best for the future."

The timing of Pangai's announcement comes as an absolute shock considering the Bulldogs have made a number of big-name signings for 2024 and can only get better. It also comes after Pangai made his State of Origin debut earlier this year - before he was unceremoniously dumped.

Fittler was widely panned for the ridiculous call to pick Pangai on what he admitted was simply based on his potential. The forward hasn't showed any real form to warrant State of Origin selection since moving to the Bulldogs.

The selection looked bad at the time, and looks even worse considering Pangai doesn't even want to play rugby league anymore. With Fittler's future as NSW coach under a massive cloud, the Pangai selection will be one of a number that could come back to haunt him.

His decision to give Nicho Hynes just 12 minutes off the bench in Origin I before axing him for the rest of the series sparked massive backlash, as did his decision to leave Clint Gutherson on the bench for 77 minutes in Game III. The selections of players like Stefano Utoikamanu and Siosifa Talakai also backfired, as did his decision to snub Jack Wighton for Game III last year.

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Discussing the situation with Pangai on Tuesday night on NRL 360, leading journalist David Riccio said: “He believes that not only does he feel as though his game has fallen to a standard of which isn’t acceptable at an NRL level. He also has an ambition to be a boxer."

But Bulldogs great Braith Anasta wasn't buying the explanation. “This was a curveball that came out of nowhere,” he said. “You think that Tevita Pangai walks into the office on $750,000 next year and he walks and goes you know what I’m done. I’m going to go box for $15,000 a fight.”

Journalist Paul Crawley agreed with Anasta’s suggestion. He said: “if you believe in that, you believe in the tooth fairy”.

Riccio said: “This is a bloke who has also been through three managers in the space of two seasons. He walks to the beat of his own drum... He’s a different individual to most footballers."

Anasta responded: “He’s beating to the wrong drum if he’s walked away from this (contract). You don’t just walk away do you."

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