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That MMA fighter with the tats on his chest in the Royce article… he has just been charged with attempted murder over a shooting. Great choice of photos for their piece
Love it - I love when we have a team of players that are unapologetic and ruthless while being good at football. We need to embrace it moreBrisbane Times
Keep that for the ring, brother’: Heavyweight Shark calls out Pangai
By Christian Nicolussi
March 1, 2022 — 5.00pm
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Cronulla heavyweight Royce Hunt says he is happy to hop in the ring and sort out any differences with Tevita Pangai jnr, who was not charged following his “brain explosion” on Monday night.
The Sharks pack also took exception to Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett's post-trial comments about “Cronulla having a few forwards who have a bit of niggle”.
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Pangai Junior reported for high shot
Bulldozing Canterbury recruit Tevita Pangai Junior was reported for a high shot on Cronulla winger Sione Katoa in a trial match.
Pangai was sin-binned and put on report in the first half after he tried to get physical and shredded Hunt’s jersey. The TV commentators were left stunned with Greg Alexander saying: “He [Pangai] wasn’t on a mission to run hard and tackle hard. He was on a mission to get sent off.”
Hunt, who scored a few minutes later, said he had grown up playing against Pangai, and even spent a season with him at the Raiders, but there had been no bad blood between the pair.
“He plays with a lot of aggression – I think he had a brain explosion,” Hunt told the Herald.
Tevita Pangai jr and Royce Hunt shape up on Monday night.CREDIT:NRL PHOTOS
“He should keep that for in the ring. If he wants to have a go in the ring, we’ll go ... keep that for the ring brother, we’ll just play footy on the field.
“He likes to go out and prove something every game. He’s a very good player, he just needs to tone it down.
“I wouldn’t mind going in the ring and having a go. I don’t know if I can [throw them]; we’ll find out one day.
“We shook hands and had a bit of a hug. There were no hard feelings. We had a few goes at each other in the second half, but there was nothing major.”
The heavyweights clashed in the first half of the Sharks-Dogs trial.CREDIT:NRL PHOTOS
Cronulla skipper Wade Graham was forced to the sideline with an ankle injury but was unimpressed by Pangai’s antics.
“I thought it was a bit of rubbish, to be honest; it’s footy, get on with the game,” said Graham, who added: “I wouldn’t get in the ring with Royce.”
Fellow Sharks front-rower Braden Hamlin-Uele enjoyed the running battle between Hunt and Pangai and said the try Hunt scored in the first half “was the only punch he needed”.
“Royce did a good job of keeping his composure,” he said.
The 26-year-old Pangai won his only professional fight before Christmas, and only after he was given Canterbury’s blessing to pull on the gloves.
Pangai has a poor disciplinary record, and the Bulldogs were not happy his actions placed them under pressure. He was also placed on report for making contact to the head of Sione Katoa.
Barrett said of Pangai after the 30-6 loss: “We want Tevita to be aggressive, but we have to be smart.”
The coach was less complimentary of the Cronulla pack – and his comments did not go down well with some in the Shire.
“‘Baz’ has been around a long time, he even played at this club and with guys like ‘Gal’ [Paul Gallen],” Graham said.
“The teams of old maybe [had that niggle], but we don’t know what kind of team we are at the moment.
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“That’s not a fair assessment. There’s been a lot of change in personnel. Cam McInnes and Dale Finucane are hardly the niggly types. It’s a bit unfair.”
Meanwhile, Graham was awaiting scans on a left ankle injury that looks set to force him out of the opening rounds, including Friday week’s road trip to Canberra.
While Graham did not hear any snaps and was not in pain, he said the medicos were certain it was “some sort of syndesmosis injury”.
I think everyone hated us because of ASADA more than anything.Love it - I love when we have a team of players that are unapologetic and ruthless while being good at football. We need to embrace it more
There was nothing like every team hating us but not doing a thing about it
i think its more flanno than anythingI think everyone hated us because of ASADA more than anything.
Gal no doubt adds to the hate too.i think its more flanno than anything
That MMA fighter with the tats on his chest in the Royce article… he has just been charged with attempted murder over a shooting. Great choice of photos for their piece
Ooo, I should have opened the article for that important piece of infoThe person he shot was 43yr old man who molested his daughter. Good on him.
0 points for Burgo...A quick rundown of Royce Hunt's stint against the Raiders.
I've seen people being critical of him, and others giving him 3-2-1 points. Both are ridiculous imo.
Fair enough. If the question is “who did their role best?” he is definitely in the conversation.I gave him points. He can only play the minutes he is on for and I thought he did well in that time.
He looked dangerous when he hit the ball up and offloaded effortlessly which is something we have sorely missed. Was he in the top 3 players to impact the match, no. But he had a small role and executed it to a tee.
Loving the short passing going on between the forwards at the moment. You can see the space it's creating and just feels like it's making all their lives easier in the middle. Very Bulldogs-esque from a few years backFair enough. If the question is “who did their role best?” he is definitely in the conversation.
I agree that it was nice to see some forwards offloading. Talakai got in on that action too.
Yep. It's fantastic. It's almost like passing is a fundamental skill that, when mastered, makes players and teams perform better.Loving the short passing going on between the forwards at the moment. You can see the space it's creating and just feels like it's making all their lives easier in the middle. Very Bulldogs-esque from a few years back
Yeah, even if it's only passing in one direction, which is basically a PHD in footy.Yep. It's fantastic. It's almost like passing is a fundamental skill that, when mastered, makes players and teams perform better.
Yeah I think if he knew he was only getting 10 or so he’d go all out for it tooI think motivation is part of his problem, he has the tools to be a damaging player and has shown it
Would still prefer him over Trindall on the bench
If a bloke is only gunna get 10 mins may as well be him, let him go nuts. he was a weapon in the trials