Tevita Farnham … Pangai comes out of short-lived retirement for another crack at NRL

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Tevita Pangai’s return to rugby league is officially on, after the NSW State of Origin forward signed a deal to come back with Souths Logan in the Queensland Cup.

A feeder club to Brisbane, the Magpies confirmed on Thursday evening that Pangai would run out for the club this year.

Pangai shocked the NRL last August when he quit Canterbury to take up a career in boxing, with one year left on his contract.

But he has since been spotted at Brisbane training, and has met with club officials about a potential comeback.

Like John Farnham infamously did with his retirement concert tours, last year was not the last time Pangai will step onto a rugby league field.

Pangai is expected to juggle boxing and rugby league, and has a fight against New Zealander Raphael Sa’u on March 23.

But beyond that, there is every chance Pangai will now push for a return to the NRL, with the Magpies coached by Justin Hodges and Karmichael Hunt.

At his best, the 28-year-old has the potential to be one of the most damaging forwards in the game.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

But he struggled to find consistency at Canterbury, after leaving Brisbane in 2021 and having a brief end-of-season stint with Penrith that year.

The Bulldogs have already said they will not stand in the way of any potential Pangai return.

Pangai’s last stint in Brisbane ended after a tumultuous 18-month period, including being suspended for seven games and fined $30,000 for COVID breaches in 2020.

In a post on Facebook, Souths Logan said they “looked forward to helping (Pangai) in the next chapter of (his) rugby league journey”.  

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