Pangai pleads for 'second chance' as Blues consider changes

Tevita Pangai Junior hopes to be given a chance to redeem himself in Origin II after being replaced just nine minutes into the second stint of his Blues debut following a series of costly errors.

Pangai played the opening 20 minutes before being replaced by Liam Martin and returned to the fray in the 51st minute.

However, he was taken off nine minutes later after conceding a penalty, losing the ball and missing a tackle as Maroons winger Selwyn Cobbo crossed for his second try in Queensland's 26-18 win.

The Bulldogs prop had been determined not to make any mistakes after eight handing errors proved too much for NSW to defend in last year’s Origin series decider and admitted he was unsure about his place in the team.

“I thought my first stint was good but in my second stint I had a crucial penalty and a crucial error,” Pangai said.

“We spoke about it all week and I watched Game III last year, with all of the yardage errors we made, and I was telling myself not to make any yardage errors but … wrong place, wrong time.

“Hopefully I can learn from the experience, and I can get another chance, but sometimes you don’t get second chances.”

The Blues dominated every facet of the game except the scoreboard and had 53 per cent of possession but didn’t hit the front until 12 minutes before fulltime.

However, they were unable to maintain their lead as Queensland scored two late tries with just 12 men and a backline reshuffle after the loss of Cobbo and fellow winger Murray Taulagi to secure a brave 26-18 win.

“You just can’t take a breath and you can’t get comfortable against a team like Queensland. We took a breath and they made us pay,” Pangai said.

“I love playing at Suncorp, but I’ve got to go back [to the Bulldogs] and prove that I want to play Game II, and hopefully I can get another shot.”

NSW coach Brad Fittler was unhappy with the way his side capitulated in the last 12 minutes after Queensland prop Tom Flegler was sinbinned for a shoulder charge that forced Blues centre Tom Trbojevic out of the game.

“He was just disappointed with the last 10 or 15 minutes and so he should be," Pangai said. "No doubt we had our moments, but it is disappointing.

“If I go back to being a little kid growing up in Newcastle, and if I told myself then that I would be playing Origin, I’d pinch myself. But now I’m a competitor and I’m here at the top level, it just sucks losing."

Rabbitohs superstar Latrell Mitchell will return for Origin II at Suncorp Stadium on June 21 but his replacement Stephen Crichton performed well and will be difficult to leave out.

With Trbojevic to undergo a mandatory 11 day stand down after failing a HIA, NSW coach Brad Fittler must decide whether to select him without playing another game.

Trbojevic’s brother Jake would be a certain selection but he is not expected to be fit in time for Origin II.

Dally M Medallist Nicho Hynes only played the final 12 minutes after Tom Trbojevic was forced from the field and Fittler explained that he had intended to replace Api Koroisau but the Blues hooker played the full match.

“Having someone versatile there, you’re going to wait for an outside back to get injured and it happened to be Tom,” Fittler said.

Raiders second-rower Hudson Young played the opening 30 minutes but didn't get back on as Liam Martin and Tyson Frizell were performing well.

Fittler admitted he had been surprised by how disjointed the NSW attack had been, with all three tries being scored on the left side.

“Although things didn’t look that smooth, we got to the front, got a restart and then from there it just went downhill,” Fittler said.

“I thought the last 10 minutes we didn’t handle very well at all, especially when they were down to 12.

“I’ll go back and look at how that all happened, but I thought we were in control, got to the front, got a restart and then from there it sort of went backwards. But that’s the way it is.”