A reformed Russell Packer has asked for critics of Broncos prop Matt Lodge to give him another chance and offering to counsel the controversial hardman if he's asked to during his NRL return.

Three years after walking free from a one-year prison term for an assault a magistrate described as "cowardly and deplorable", Packer was last week announced as one of five Tigers co-captains for 2018 despite the teetotaller having yet to play a game for the club.

Give him a go: Matt Lodge deserves another chance says Russell Packer. Credit:AAP

Lodge's imminent NRL return with Brisbane has divided opinion after it emerged he is yet to pay a cent of the $1.6 million he owes in compensation to victims of a New York rampage in October 2015, in which he was arrested at gunpoint.

Packer has now made a home for himself at Lodge's former club, while the 22-year-old tries to resurrect his career under master coach Wayne Bennett, who has never hidden his disappointment that he never got to help Packer turn his life around.