Staggs has been handed a roadmap to Origin. Now he just has to rise to the occasion

“Hot and cold” has described plenty of NRL players over the years. This year, it’s Kotoni Staggs, who roared to life for the Brisbane Broncos in rounds five and six, before defaulting to silence in round seven. Right now, his wild form is costing him a State of Origin jersey.

Blues coach Brad Fittler had a message for Staggs after the 23-year-old rumbled to life against the Roosters at Suncorp Stadium: “Do what you did tonight, do it the rest of the year.” That was how he’d get a Blues jersey.

The next week, again, the Broncos centre was unplayable.

In round six, seven days removed from his Roosters rout, Staggs turned on the afterburners against the Panthers. The scoreline may not have looked the goods for Brisbane (40–12, in the end), but their game-breaking centre put on a show nonetheless. A try, 116 run metres, 38 of them post-contact, a linebreak, a try assist, a linebreak assist. A game-high eight tackle breaks, and for the losing team mind you.

That was the Kotoni Staggs that Freddy Fittler had asked to see week in, week out. That was the Staggs that the former Rooster—who had just watched his old club ripped apart—quietly marked as a future New South Wales superstar.

Only, another week deflated all that bubbling, building hype.

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The Broncos marched into a 34–14 victory over the Bulldogs, and Staggs was nowhere to be seen. In 80 minutes he scored none of his team’s six tries, laid on zero, and broke two tackles in his nine runs. He got nearly as much ball, but he clocked up the effort in a minimal way and watched as the team roared to the win.

Now maybe you can say, “Oh, okay, he wasn’t needed for the win,” and that’s fair enough. But that’s not the player Freddy was eyeing up for the Origin jersey waiting back in Sydney. Win, lose, and everything in between, he wanted Staggs to hunt the play.

Staggs knows it too. He admits he didn’t do enough last week.

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According to the Broncos star, that mission from Fittler keeps rattling around in his head. He ticked off the greenlights in round six. He failed in round seven. Now, coming up against the red-hot Sharks and the white-hot Siosifa Talakai, he wants to make it two from three. Not the other way around. Not the disappearing act of the comp’s first four months.

“[Freddy’s] told me, go looking for the ball. Back myself. [He told me] to do what got me to where I am today and what got me to love the sport – going out and having fun with my mates, all the little things, just back myself,” the 23-year-old said.

And that’s what he’s going to do on Thursday night.

Everyone is talking about Talakai for the Blues. Staggs wants the message to change.

“That Blues jersey is on my mind, I’ve always wanted to play in Origin for the Blues,” he admitted. If I have to keep performing better to get the jersey I will. I want to earn that opportunity.

“If the opportunity does come, or is already here, I’ll take it with both hands. I’ve played against [Talakai] before. He’s outstanding [but] I know what I’ve got to do and it’s not to go high that’s for sure!

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I did see a bit of highlights and it didn’t really look happy for the other centre [Morgan Harper]. I just think he’s a big body and he uses it, whatever’s in front of him he’ll take it. If the opportunity’s there to run over someone he’ll do it.

“Really, he just backs himself.

“It’s going to be a good test for myself and I’ll do everything I can to contain him and help the team.”

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