In the space of an hour on Tuesday, two of Sonny Bill Williams’ “brothers”, Payne Haas and Tevita Penagi jnr, made life-altering decisions on their sporting futures.
Haas signed a three-year contract extension with Brisbane, while Pangai decided to retire from the NRL at the end of the season to concentrate on his boxing career.
“Good on them,” Williams told this masthead.
“It’s sad, the negative drama that seems to come with any player off contract and wants to do the best for themselves.
“They get painted as some villain, as the person who is so self-centred and selfish that they are not putting in for their teammates.
“Payne Haas is a prime example; he is in the trenches, he plays in the hardest position in the field. He is a big guy with a big heart, he plays for his team. But just because he tries to do the best for himself and his family, he is portrayed as a villain.
Sonny Bill Williams has backed the career choices of Payne Haas and Tevita Pangai Junior.Credit: Getty
“My gripe with that is, is that the same said for the clubs, for the powers that be? Probably not. At the end of the day, it’s a feel-good story and more power to the brothers.”
The news of Pangai’s decision came as the bigger shock to Williams. Khoder Nasser, the man who guided the careers of Williams and Anthony Mundine – and will provide counsel to Pangai during his transition to boxing – described it as “absolute madness”.
“That’s quite telling of Khoder Nasser, who managed the most successful boxer in Australian history [Mundine] from a monetary point of view,” Williams said.
“If he is saying that, you know it’s going to be a tough road for Tevita. But man, I’m always in that guy’s corner, he’s one of my brothers.
Tevita Pangai Jr and Payne Haas.Credit: Getty
“I think he can make it, he’s got all of the attributes. The other thing a lot of people don’t understand is he is a student of the game, he lives for that stuff.
“For example, school is not for everyone. Just because we think that a certain path is the right way to walk, it’s not the best for everyone.
“The thing with boxing that I think Tevita enjoys is that solo-ness of it. You’re just on that grind, you’re working and answering to yourself.
“In terms of support, I support the brother and look forward to getting to some of his fights. Like Choc [Mundine], Tevita already made a name for himself in Australian sport and that will go a long way in getting him good fights.
Tevita Pangai Junior wants to focus solely on boxing.Credit: Getty
“How good would it be in 12 months time for us to be having this conversation and we’re going to a big fight where Tevita Pangai jnr is headlining as one of the top heavyweight prospects in Australia? That would be special. Good on him.”
Williams was able to juggle his footballing and fighting commitments, while Mundine quit the NRL altogether to focus on boxing.
“I know from experience, the hard thing is, and you would have seen this with my Barry Hall fight, I had been out of the [boxing] game for something like six or seven years,” Williams said.
“[Pangai] understands you have to be in it, you have to give it your all. Once you build that momentum from that first, initial fight, you just want to keep going. I had to pull up stumps and then go again.
Tevita Pangai jnr spars with Mark Carroll in NSW Origin camp earlier this year.Credit: NRL Photos/Grant Trouville
“That’s the difficulty and Tevita, after that little taste, probably wanted some more. Obviously the Dogs aren’t going that well this year and he’s copping the brunt of it. I think he has just made that call, more power to the brother. We need kids chasing their dreams.”
Williams felt the Broncos and Haas were a good fit.
“He might have been able to get more elsewhere, but he’s looked at everything and done what is best for himself and his young family,” he said.
“He is at a good club, they look like a great bunch of lads. When you are winning you see that, they have got a good chemistry and camaraderie between the team. My understanding is he a lot of time for [coach] Kevvie Walters, so good on him.
“He could potentially win the Dally M medal, I’ve got nothing but love for the bro.”
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