Former Bronco Tevita Pangai Junior has been asked for an "aggressive" output when he faces his former side on Sunday evening.
The recent Bulldogs import failed to don a blue and white jersey during Round 1 after being a late withdrawal due to a hamstring complaint.
However, with a week spent rehabilitating after Canterbury's 6-4 victory over the Cowboys in Townsville last week, the forward who was let go by Brisbane before the cessation of last season will be ready to tear shreds off his former teammates.
Speaking in the lead-up to his side's home opener at Accor Stadium, Dogs coach Trent Barrett claimed that not only would Pangai suit up, but the 26-year-old had also specifically been asked for a bruising effort.
“We’re expecting Tevita to be okay, he’s got a couple of days of training to get through," Barrett began.
While Pangai Jr's temper has recently seen him falling foul of the on-field adjudicators, his latest head coach claimed that if his anger was something that could be harnessed, it would act as a weapon and not a self destruct button.
“Tevita has had his mind taken off who we are playing by getting himself right for the game, that’s probably his main focus. It’s certainly not a personal thing for any of our players, we just need to go out and perform well," Barrett added.
“We want him to be aggressive, that’s in his nature. There is a fine line there as well and he understands that.
“He is looking forward to playing – he has had a bit of a disrupted pre-season, but we’re confident he will get there this week.”
Kick-off in the contest between the 2021 cellar dwellers who both sit at 1-0 after a week is scheduled for 6:15 pm AEDT.
