The forward is one match into a five-game ban
Tevita Pangai Jr in action for Hull KR
Tevita Pangai Jr has taken to social media to acknowledge that he has let Hull KR fans down during his brief spell with the club.
The forward is one match into the five-game ban he is currently serving for three separate late contact on passer charges during Rovers’ clash with Warrington Wolves earlier this month. It means that KR would have to reach the Grand Final for Pangai Jr to be eligible to play again this season, with the prop seeing his ban extended by one game after an unsuccessful appeal earlier this week.
The three charges wouldn’t ordinarily be enough for such a ban, but his previous has counted against him with the prop receiving a six-game ban for gouging earlier in the campaign.
It means that Pangai Jr has made just five appearances for the Robins since joining in May, with 11 games being missed through suspension.
With his contract with the club expiring at the end of the season, there is now a real risk that Pangai Jr has played his last game with the Robins.
And, in light of his latest ban, Pangai Jr has taken to Instagram in an attempt to explain his actions, while admitting he has to make changes.
“As I’ve had time to self-reflect and spent sleepless nights thinking about my suspension and mistakes, I know I’ve let you Robins fans down,” he wrote on social media.
“I came here to join a winning culture and recapture the form I had earlier in my career. I came with personal and team goals, and I worked hard to get myself into the shape to perform at the level I did then.
“I’ve done my work during the week with the coaches, studying opposition plays and shapes. So I know what’s coming, and if I can read it, I try to disrupt it or even stop it.
“I want to make the contact count, stop them coming into the line and make life easier for the men outside me.
“But I also know I have adjustments to make — with my loading points and with the way the game has changed.
“Maybe the system plays a part, but I’ll always look at myself first and ask myself how I can improve and stop this from happening again.”