Canterbury football boss Phil Gould has issued a plea to New South Wales coaches to not rile up Origin debutant Tevita Pangai Jr.
Pangai was the biggest surprise pick in Brad Fittler’s Blues team announced on Monday, with the Bulldogs firebrand called up to replace injured prop Jake Trbojevic.
The 27-year-old has spent years crafting his reputation as one of the NRL’s meanest madmen, earning him a raft of sin bins and suspensions, as well as a couple of professional boxing bouts in between.
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While on-field aggression is an admired asset in rugby league, Pangai’s penchant for a punch-on has often been a liability for his team, leaving his side a man short and without a quality forward.
But there’s strong mail from Blues camp that Fittler and co have brought Pangai into the fold specifically to exact some revenge on Queensland players who last year ganged up on Matt Burton and belted the young playmaker in game three.
Gould, however, says the Bulldogs have worked hard to turn Pangai into a player who can walk away before fists fly.
“I don’t want anyone firing up Tevita. We’ve just got all that stuff out of him,” Gould told Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
“I don’t want anyone firing him up, and he won’t do anything silly, I can guarantee you. He will play tough.
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“In a lot of areas of his game he has improved markedly under (Bulldogs coach) Cameron Ciraldo, his discipline has been good.”
The Blues were filthy with how Burton was treated in Origin III, and the fact he was sin-binned alongside Dane Gagai despite at least three Maroons lining up to attack him.
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Speaking on Wide World of Sports’ Freddy and the Eighth, NSW coach Fittler predicted there could be a brouhaha at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday night.
“(Queensland prop Thomas) Flegler loves it, Pangai loves it,” Fittler said.
Andrew Johns chimed in with, “It will be on, for sure”.
Speaking to NRL.com from Blues camp this week, Pangai conceded his firebrand approach to footy is what got him selected.
“I know why I’ve been picked and I’ll keep my aggressive style and take on the Queensland pack,” he said.
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While Gould is worried Pangai’s bad habits could return at club level if he’s set loose in Origin, the Bulldogs boss was more than happy to endorse his player for a debut.
“Bradley (Fittler) rang me Sunday night and said, ‘Look we’ve got an issue, Jake Trbojevic is injured, the like for like is probably Tevita’,” Gould said.
“I said, ‘Well, what do you need him to do?’, and he said, ‘We need him to do this and that, and I said, ‘He will do that for you.’
“I think he will start (on the field). I don’t think there’s any point in bringing him off the bench, I think he needs to be out there and start.”
Pangai has been named at prop for Wednesday’s series opener.
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