Two articles because there are different quites from each.
Source: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...r/news-story/e2349e29da92650b9f91070c685ffc0f
September 28, 2021 - 10:37PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Penrith forward Tevita Pangai Jnr has selflessly ruled himself out of the NRL grand final to give Panthers local junior Spencer Leniu a chance to play in Sunday’s decider at Suncorp Stadium.
But Pangai Jnr said the decision to rule himself out of what would have been the biggest game of his life pales in comparison to the heartbreak he and his wife Anna suffered when the couple lost their daughter six weeks ago.
Pangai Jnr and his partner were forced to say goodbye to the couple’s first child after daughter, Georgia Lose Galilee Pangai, was delivered stillborn at 24 weeks in August.
The 25-year old said the tragedy put missing a chance to play in the grand final into perspective.
“Only my life experiences can help me with that, this is like nothing to me, I lost my daughter,” Pangai Jnr said.
“To be honest, losing my daughter six weeks ago, this [joining Penrith] has been a big distraction for me. I’m thankful for the club. I could have had the season off but to come [here] and join the team it has been good for me and my wife.”
A mid-season signing from Brisbane, the injury effectively ends his time at the Panthers before he joins Canterbury for next season.
Pangai Jnr was in a race against the clock to be fit for Sunday’s clash with South Sydney after the prop suffered a knee injury in Penrith’s 10-6 preliminary final win over Melbourne.
Scans revealed Pangai Jnr had suffered a grade two medial injury to his left knee.
A Penrith official told News Corp that coaching staff were willing to give Pangai Jnr until game day to prove his fitness even after the scan results. But after meeting with coaching staff Pangai Jnr made the call to pull out of the match.
The forward’s withdrawal has opened the door for local junior Leniu to take the field on Sunday.
Leniu didn’t earn a place in last year’s grand final after illness robbed him of a chance to take on Melbourne in 2020. Leniu had been named to play in last year’s preliminary final against the Rabbitohs but was a late omission due to the flu. It ultimately cost him a chance to play in a grand final.
Pangai Jnr said Leniu deserves his chance at playing in the decider.
“When I came off [against Melbourne], I had a feeling I wasn’t going to play,” Pangai Jnr said. “Plus we have a good young player in Spencer Leniu who deserves his opportunity as well, a Panthers junior and he is playing good footy. [I’m] just happy that the boys got to get to another grand final and hopefully they get the win. It’s a team sport."
Source: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/pa...d-out-of-nrl-grand-final-20210928-p58vf5.html
Mid-season recruit Tevita Pangai jnr has unselfishly ruled himself out of the decider due to a knee injury, ensuring local junior Spencer Leniu will feature against the Rabbitohs.
The Herald can reveal that scans showed Pangai suffered a grade two medial ligament sprain against the Storm in the preliminary final, an injury which usually rules players out for three to five weeks. Pangai, who was signed by the Panthers on a short-term $120,000 deal before the August 2 trade deadline, played six games for the club.
His time at the Panthers began with heartache after he was given permission to leave camp to be with his wife Anna, who suffered a miscarriage 24 weeks into her pregnancy.
“Losing my daughter six weeks ago, this has been a good distraction for me,” Pangai said.
“This is like nothing to me. I lost my daughter. I’ve had worse experiences than missing a grand final. There’s more to life than missing a game of footy. It’s a team sport. I hope the boys get the job done. There probably was a slight chance I could have played, but there’s a young hungry player in Spencer Leniu who will do a good job and is a very powerful player.”
While the Panthers will be without Pangai for the decider, the club does not regret the investment to lure him from the Broncos on his way to Canterbury next year.
“Irrespective of the media speculation of the value of the deal, the Panthers were comfortable with what we thought Tevita could bring to the footy program for the back end of the year,” Penrith general manager Matt Cameron said.
“It’s incredibly disappointing he’s not eligible for selection in the grand final, but his contribution in helping us get there has been invaluable.”
The Panthers had a meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss whether to carry Pangai for the rest of the week to give him a chance of playing. Pangai pulled the pin himself.
Pangai’s manager Matt Desira said his client’s commitment and dedication to people he met only two months ago spoke volumes of his character.
“You wouldn’t have known that he’s only known those blokes for two months judging by the way he spoke about them. He has loved every minute of his time there and has learnt a lot being in that environment. It hasn’t finished the way he would have hoped, but he was brought to the club to help them win a premiership. I think his performance in the opening quarter of the preliminary final helped give them a strong chance to do that.”
Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould, who will welcome Pangai to Belmore in the offseason, was delighted both he and Matt Burton have experienced a finals campaign with the Panthers before linking with Canterbury.
“It’s going to be wonderful for the Bulldogs that he’s played with that side up to this point in the season,” Gould said on Nine’s 100% Footy. “It’s going to be far better than had he sat out the rest of the year waiting for his Bulldogs assignment.
“You’re going to have Matt Burton and Tevita Pangai jnr coming to the Bulldogs next year who have experienced a run up to a grand final. From my understanding, he’s really learnt a lot since he’s been there.”
Source: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...r/news-story/e2349e29da92650b9f91070c685ffc0f
NRL Grand Final 2021 Teams: Tevita Pangai Jr ruled out of decider
Fatima Kdouh, Peter Badel and Travis MeynSeptember 28, 2021 - 10:37PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Penrith forward Tevita Pangai Jnr has selflessly ruled himself out of the NRL grand final to give Panthers local junior Spencer Leniu a chance to play in Sunday’s decider at Suncorp Stadium.
But Pangai Jnr said the decision to rule himself out of what would have been the biggest game of his life pales in comparison to the heartbreak he and his wife Anna suffered when the couple lost their daughter six weeks ago.
Pangai Jnr and his partner were forced to say goodbye to the couple’s first child after daughter, Georgia Lose Galilee Pangai, was delivered stillborn at 24 weeks in August.
The 25-year old said the tragedy put missing a chance to play in the grand final into perspective.
“Only my life experiences can help me with that, this is like nothing to me, I lost my daughter,” Pangai Jnr said.
“To be honest, losing my daughter six weeks ago, this [joining Penrith] has been a big distraction for me. I’m thankful for the club. I could have had the season off but to come [here] and join the team it has been good for me and my wife.”
A mid-season signing from Brisbane, the injury effectively ends his time at the Panthers before he joins Canterbury for next season.
Pangai Jnr was in a race against the clock to be fit for Sunday’s clash with South Sydney after the prop suffered a knee injury in Penrith’s 10-6 preliminary final win over Melbourne.
Scans revealed Pangai Jnr had suffered a grade two medial injury to his left knee.
A Penrith official told News Corp that coaching staff were willing to give Pangai Jnr until game day to prove his fitness even after the scan results. But after meeting with coaching staff Pangai Jnr made the call to pull out of the match.
The forward’s withdrawal has opened the door for local junior Leniu to take the field on Sunday.
Leniu didn’t earn a place in last year’s grand final after illness robbed him of a chance to take on Melbourne in 2020. Leniu had been named to play in last year’s preliminary final against the Rabbitohs but was a late omission due to the flu. It ultimately cost him a chance to play in a grand final.
Pangai Jnr said Leniu deserves his chance at playing in the decider.
“When I came off [against Melbourne], I had a feeling I wasn’t going to play,” Pangai Jnr said. “Plus we have a good young player in Spencer Leniu who deserves his opportunity as well, a Panthers junior and he is playing good footy. [I’m] just happy that the boys got to get to another grand final and hopefully they get the win. It’s a team sport."
Source: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/pa...d-out-of-nrl-grand-final-20210928-p58vf5.html
Pangai jnr reveals why he ruled himself out of grand final
By Michael Chammas
Updated September 28, 2021 — 7.10pmfirst published at 2.59pmMid-season recruit Tevita Pangai jnr has unselfishly ruled himself out of the decider due to a knee injury, ensuring local junior Spencer Leniu will feature against the Rabbitohs.
The Herald can reveal that scans showed Pangai suffered a grade two medial ligament sprain against the Storm in the preliminary final, an injury which usually rules players out for three to five weeks. Pangai, who was signed by the Panthers on a short-term $120,000 deal before the August 2 trade deadline, played six games for the club.
His time at the Panthers began with heartache after he was given permission to leave camp to be with his wife Anna, who suffered a miscarriage 24 weeks into her pregnancy.
“Losing my daughter six weeks ago, this has been a good distraction for me,” Pangai said.
“This is like nothing to me. I lost my daughter. I’ve had worse experiences than missing a grand final. There’s more to life than missing a game of footy. It’s a team sport. I hope the boys get the job done. There probably was a slight chance I could have played, but there’s a young hungry player in Spencer Leniu who will do a good job and is a very powerful player.”
While the Panthers will be without Pangai for the decider, the club does not regret the investment to lure him from the Broncos on his way to Canterbury next year.
“Irrespective of the media speculation of the value of the deal, the Panthers were comfortable with what we thought Tevita could bring to the footy program for the back end of the year,” Penrith general manager Matt Cameron said.
“It’s incredibly disappointing he’s not eligible for selection in the grand final, but his contribution in helping us get there has been invaluable.”
The Panthers had a meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss whether to carry Pangai for the rest of the week to give him a chance of playing. Pangai pulled the pin himself.
Pangai’s manager Matt Desira said his client’s commitment and dedication to people he met only two months ago spoke volumes of his character.
“You wouldn’t have known that he’s only known those blokes for two months judging by the way he spoke about them. He has loved every minute of his time there and has learnt a lot being in that environment. It hasn’t finished the way he would have hoped, but he was brought to the club to help them win a premiership. I think his performance in the opening quarter of the preliminary final helped give them a strong chance to do that.”
Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould, who will welcome Pangai to Belmore in the offseason, was delighted both he and Matt Burton have experienced a finals campaign with the Panthers before linking with Canterbury.
“It’s going to be wonderful for the Bulldogs that he’s played with that side up to this point in the season,” Gould said on Nine’s 100% Footy. “It’s going to be far better than had he sat out the rest of the year waiting for his Bulldogs assignment.
“You’re going to have Matt Burton and Tevita Pangai jnr coming to the Bulldogs next year who have experienced a run up to a grand final. From my understanding, he’s really learnt a lot since he’s been there.”