STAGGS: I WON’T LET DOWN THE BLUES
KOTONI Staggs says he won’t fail NSW coach Brad Fittler in a sky-blue jumper as Broncos teammate Adam Reynolds called for Brisbane’s strike weapon to be handed his Origin debut.
Staggs towelled up Cronulla hulk Siosifa Talakai on Thursday night and gets a chance to further his Origin claims this Thursday against Souths at Accor Stadium – the home of the NSW Blues.
For Staggs, his quest to play in the code’s toughest arena has spanned two years.
He first entered the Origin conversation in 2020, only to snap his ACL late in that season against the Cowboys, forcing him to undergo the knee reconstruction that torpedoed his hopes of breaking into the NSW side the following year.
But with Latrell Mitchell in major doubt for Origin I with a hamstring injury, Staggs has rocketed into the frame for the June 8 opener at Homebush.
A sizzling performance on the same turf against South Sydney will give Fittler further comfort the Broncos dynamo would relish a baptism in sky blue.
“That NSW jumper has been on my mind,” Staggs said. “That’s the one goal I’ve had, to get that Origin jersey and if I keep playing good footy, hopefully I get picked.
“I saw ‘Freddy’ (Fittler) after the Roosters game at Suncorp (three weeks ago). He told me to back myself and play in the way that got me to love the sport.
“I was pretty close to Origin before I did my knee. I could have been there in a Blues jumper, but I took a step back and I learnt a lot about myself after the injury. I am in a better headspace now and if I was to get that Origin jersey, I will take it better with both hands.”
While Penrith ace Stephen Crichton is the frontrunner, Staggs showed he was among the code’s centre elite with his domination of Talakai on Thursday.