Can Pangai Junior make the Storm a premiership contender?

Tevita Pangai Junior is set to quit professional boxing and attempt to return to the NRL as the Melbourne Storm ponder giving the former Origin forward a career lifeline.

Pangai Junior’s brother and manager confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that the 28-year-old has reached out to the Storm and held preliminary talks with coach Craig Bellamy.

A focused and fit Pangai Junior would be a great addition to Bellamy’s side as they look to bolster their forward pack and add some firepower ahead of the second half of the season.

Speaking on NRL Crunchtime, SEN’s Justin Horo commented that the addition of Pangai Junior could elevate the Storm to the level of the Panthers.

“If you’ve got really good leadership and a really good culture and you’ve got buy in from Tevita, it’s a very dangerous mix,” Horo said.

“Whether they (the Melbourne Storm) can bridge the gap between them and the Panthers is the development of… the middle.

“I know Craig Bellamy and Wayne Bennett would indeed be the coaches where they not only get the best out of him but also have the full respect of Tevita.

“Just like at Penrith… he only played a couple of games and he didn’t even play the grand final but you could tell he completely bought into the whole culture and that whole system.

“Them two (Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Pangai Junior) coming off the bench together… that’s dangerous.”

However, SEN’s Jimmy Smith says Pangai Junior needs to prove he’s the right fit for Melbourne and that he’s there for the long haul.

“If Tevita goes to the Melbourne Storm, and he’s got to pass the coffee test from Mr Bellamy, you’ve got to be of a certain character to get into the club,” Smith remarked.

“If he passes that and looks around and still has a problem with it, in that system, then at that point Tevita’s got to say it’s not them, it’s me.”

Pangai Junior played for the Brisbane Broncos, Penrith Panthers, and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs before suddenly retiring from rugby league in August 2023 to pursue a professional boxing career.