The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have made one of their biggest signings in recent seasons with star forward Tevita Pangai Junior committing to joining the club for the next three seasons.
The signing is a great coup for the Bulldogs, as Pangai Junior was one of the most sought after players on the market, who had interest from a number of other clubs. He will not join the Bulldogs this season, but will link up with the club for 2022.
The rampaging 25 year-old prop, stands at 190 cm and weighs 117 kg, and is seen as one of the most destructive runners in the game.
Having made his debut for the Brisbane Broncos in 2016, he has gone on to make 96 NRL appearances, scoring fourteen tries.
He has also represented Tonga, and scored a try against Australia in the first-ever Test Match between the two countries in 2018.
Bulldogs Chair, John Khoury, was delighted that the club had been able to secure the services of such a destructive player:
”When someone like Tevita comes on to the market it automatically creates enormous interest amongst a number of clubs.
We have been able to sit down with Tevita and outline our vision here at the club going forward and we were delighted when he said that he wanted to be part of what we are trying to build here.
When you have a player of his size and power it adds so much of an attacking threat to your pack and we believe that Tevita can really continue to grow under the guidance of Trent Barrett and the coaching staff here.
We are delighted that our fans are going to get to see him run out in the blue and white next season and we feel that we are putting together a squad that can play the type of football that will take us to the next level moving forward.”
Bulldogs Head Coach Trent Barrett was also looking forward to what Pangai Junior could bring to the club:
“Being able to bring a forward of Tevita’s quality to the club is a massive boost for our playing group for next season and beyond.
He is a great ball runner and strong defender and someone who will be the perfect fit with the other forwards that we have.
He is also a player with International experience who has performed well on that stage and someone who can be a leader within our group.
I know that everyone at the club is excited about Tevita joining us next season and we believe that he will be a major asset moving forward.”
