Punchbowl Dog
Kennel Enthusiast
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2017
- Messages
- 390
- Reaction score
- 486
ONE of rugby league’s toughest ever enforcers has come out swinging in defence of underfire Canterbury Bulldogs recruit Tevita Pangai Jr. And Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach not only reckons one of the modern game’s most maligned forwards is ready for State of Origin but declared: “I’d like to have him in my team.”
It comes after Pangai Jr copped huge criticism for his brain snaps in the Bulldogs’ disappointing final trial loss to Cronulla. The big forward was put on report twice during the match and also got a spell in the sin bin, while he was lucky to escape a charge from the match review panel.
But rather than calling for him to curb his aggression, Roach reckons that is exactly what Pangai Jr needs to keep if he is going to take his career to the next level this year.
And the former Balmain and NSW tough guy did not hesitate when asked if Pangai could push his way into the Blues team this year.
“I do (think he is ready for Origin),” Roach said. “They were talking about him two years ago. But the best bloke to sit down and talk to him is Phil Gould (Bulldogs general manager of football).
“He played with a lot of blokes that sailed close to the wind. But I wouldn’t like to see him lose his aggressiveness.
Just use it in a different way.
“All the do-gooders in the game now say, ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that’.
“But I want aggressive blokes in my side.”
Roach said he’d like to see the Bulldogs move Pangai Jr into the middle instead of playing him on the edge. And he even pointed out he’d sit Pangai Jr down to watch game tapes of Roosters veteran enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Penrith’s hard man James Fisher-Harris go about their trade.
“You need blokes that live on the edge,” Roach said. “Hargreaves has learned to live on the edge.
“Look at Fisher-Harris and how he plays. If he doesn’t live on the edge he isn’t doing what he is supposed to do. “He is an intimidator.
“So what I would do is sit down with my teammates and my coach and say, ‘what do you guys actually want from me?’ The poor bloke is at the stage now where we are all talking about him because of the way he goes at it.
“But he has got to intimidate the opposition.”
Roach was no choirboy in his day, although he reckons he was sinbinned more times than sent off.
One of his most famous incidents came when he patted referee Eddie Ward on the head after he was dismissed while his brawl with Les Davidson was legendary.
Roach says in the heat of battle it is easy to lose your head for just that split second.
He said: “It is easy to say that (play with more discipline), but when you get fired up … I don’t want lovely blokes in my team. I like blokes who get fired up. You don’t want lovely blokes.
“I’m not saying he has done the right thing (on Monday night) but I am a big fan. I know he has to curb it and I agree with all that sort of stuff. But you’ve got to stay aggressive.”
couldn’t see this posted anywhere, probably a defence liability out wide and a penalty liability in the middle, but a middle every day of the week for mine
It comes after Pangai Jr copped huge criticism for his brain snaps in the Bulldogs’ disappointing final trial loss to Cronulla. The big forward was put on report twice during the match and also got a spell in the sin bin, while he was lucky to escape a charge from the match review panel.
But rather than calling for him to curb his aggression, Roach reckons that is exactly what Pangai Jr needs to keep if he is going to take his career to the next level this year.
And the former Balmain and NSW tough guy did not hesitate when asked if Pangai could push his way into the Blues team this year.
“I do (think he is ready for Origin),” Roach said. “They were talking about him two years ago. But the best bloke to sit down and talk to him is Phil Gould (Bulldogs general manager of football).
“He played with a lot of blokes that sailed close to the wind. But I wouldn’t like to see him lose his aggressiveness.
Just use it in a different way.
“All the do-gooders in the game now say, ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that’.
“But I want aggressive blokes in my side.”
Roach said he’d like to see the Bulldogs move Pangai Jr into the middle instead of playing him on the edge. And he even pointed out he’d sit Pangai Jr down to watch game tapes of Roosters veteran enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Penrith’s hard man James Fisher-Harris go about their trade.
“You need blokes that live on the edge,” Roach said. “Hargreaves has learned to live on the edge.
“Look at Fisher-Harris and how he plays. If he doesn’t live on the edge he isn’t doing what he is supposed to do. “He is an intimidator.
“So what I would do is sit down with my teammates and my coach and say, ‘what do you guys actually want from me?’ The poor bloke is at the stage now where we are all talking about him because of the way he goes at it.
“But he has got to intimidate the opposition.”
Roach was no choirboy in his day, although he reckons he was sinbinned more times than sent off.
One of his most famous incidents came when he patted referee Eddie Ward on the head after he was dismissed while his brawl with Les Davidson was legendary.
Roach says in the heat of battle it is easy to lose your head for just that split second.
He said: “It is easy to say that (play with more discipline), but when you get fired up … I don’t want lovely blokes in my team. I like blokes who get fired up. You don’t want lovely blokes.
“I’m not saying he has done the right thing (on Monday night) but I am a big fan. I know he has to curb it and I agree with all that sort of stuff. But you’ve got to stay aggressive.”
couldn’t see this posted anywhere, probably a defence liability out wide and a penalty liability in the middle, but a middle every day of the week for mine
