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Message: [QUOTE="McHunt, post: 3586493, member: 9853"] [I][B]Tevita Pangai Jr:[/B][/I] [INDENT=2]“I have no regrets. I never ripped off anyone at the Dogs. I’m not driven by money. I’m just happy to be back in Brisbane with my life settled again. I’m committed to boxing but [U]I haven’t ruled out playing NRL again[/U]. I would have to have a good talk with my wife and my brother, who manages me."[/INDENT] [INDENT=2][/INDENT] [INDENT=2]"I blame my boxing trainer for this Broncos speculation. His daughter wanted to meet Reece Walsh and Payne Haas, so I said, ‘I will take you training and meet a few of the lads’. That’s why all these rumours started happening about me coming back to the Broncos, but it’s not the first time I have gone to watch Broncos training. Right now, I am focused on boxing, but I think I can still definitely mix it in the NRL. I’m only 28 and I’m just hitting my peak as a front-rower. Ability wise, I can still do something in the NRL, but I’m taking boxing seriously and respecting the sport.”[/INDENT] [INDENT=2][/INDENT] [INDENT=2]“Leaving the Broncos was the worst period of my life. [U]I was literally in tears when I had to leave, that’s how much I loved the Broncos[/U]. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Broncos and even when I was at the Bulldogs, I loved tuning into Broncos games. I’m very close with Payne and Patty, so I will never forget the friendships I made at the Broncos. [U]I get on great with Kev. [/U]I understood at the time when they let me go it was all business. We had a lot of money tied up in our forward pack and I never took it personally."[/INDENT] [INDENT=2][/INDENT] [INDENT=2]“[U]I was pretty angry I had to leave Brisbane[/U] because I could see the potential that was coming. I knew Adam Reynolds would make a huge difference to the team, but there’s no issue with Kevvie at all. [U]Yes, I’ve spoken to ‘Kevvie’ at Broncos training. I have always stayed in touch with Kevvie[/U], even during my time in Sydney, he would message me after I played a good game. We haven’t had too many serious discussions, but [U]I haven’t closed the door on the NRL[/U].”[/INDENT] [INDENT=2][/INDENT] [INDENT=2]“It’s true I spoke to Eddie Jones. Simon Poidevin is a friend of mine, he helped me get a scholarship to Newington College when I was 12 years old and he helped set up a chat with Eddie. We had been trying to set up the meeting for a while, but we finally spoke just a few days after I announced my retirement from the NRL. Eddie was great. I really enjoyed talking to him. He was pretty keen to sign me, he told me to watch some footage of games and I mentioned to him that I had played No.8 and liked watching Toutai Kefu and Willie Ofahengaue. I definitely thought about going to rugby. There’s the Lions tour and the World Cup coming up. I played rugby union as a kid, so I know the game, but I had told the Bulldogs I wanted to test myself in boxing and I wanted to stick to my word.”[/INDENT] [INDENT=2][/INDENT] [INDENT=2]“To be honest, [U]I just hated Sydney. I didn’t enjoy the city[/U]. There’s a reason my parents moved out of Sydney when I was 12. [U]The place sucks. I will never move back[/U]. My big thing was being in Brisbane. People don’t understand how much I love being back home with my wife’s family and being able to work with my boxing trainer in Brisbane."[/INDENT] [INDENT=2][/INDENT] [INDENT=2]"There’s no issue with Cameron. He knows what we spoke about. I had some goals I wrote down and I told them if I didn’t meet them, I would quit the NRL and take up boxing. I said to ‘Ciro’ if we didn’t make the top eight, that I would leave the club and I’d go without a payout. We had a great relationship. Cameron didn’t want to hold me to those words, but I felt I dropped below my standard at the Dogs and I wasn’t happy with myself.”[/INDENT] [INDENT=2][/INDENT] [INDENT=2]“The truth is there was no payout. While most of my discussions were with the coach, I got on with ‘Gus.' When he found out about my decision, we definitely spoke about it and he said if I ever needed anything, he would be there for me which I appreciated. I was happy that I could leave without any bad blood. I didn’t get a cent from the Dogs. Anyone who has dealt with me knows I am very fair at the negotiating table. I’m not driven by money. My parents always said don’t rip anyone off. I’ve had bigger offers in my time in the NRL and I happily took less to play in winning teams. I don’t care if people think I’m money hungry. I got to move back to Brisbane and box and the Dogs had $750,000 to play with. I think it was a fair deal in the end.”[/INDENT] [INDENT=2][/INDENT] [INDENT=2]“I really do love the sport of boxing. I have signed a two-fight deal and I’m giving it my all in the sport. The hardest thing is getting used to being punched in the face, but once you get used to it, it’s actually a nice feeling. I feel like I can fight for the next decade. It’s a long and hard road but I believe I can make some noise in boxing."[/INDENT] [INDENT=2][/INDENT] [INDENT=2]“I do feel I have more clarity in my life. I’m now married with two kids and I can’t be happier being home in Brisbane. [U]I don’t hate rugby league.[/U] You definitely didn’t see the best of me in the NRL. I feel like I could have done better with my consistency, but I don’t know what the future holds. I think I can succeed in two sports. Boxing and rugby league work together in many ways, I don’t think the training can hurt me in boxing and vice-versa with league. If I was go down that path - [U]mixing boxing and NRL - I don’t think it would be an issue for me[/U].”[/INDENT] [/QUOTE]

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