Broncos v Cowboys: Kotoni Staggs opens up about his derby injury demons

Kotoni Staggs’ two years of injury hell in games against the Cowboys almost drove him out of Red Hill, but the Broncos strike weapon is determined to right some wrongs.

Kotoni Staggs has revealed how close he came to quitting Brisbane following the anguish of consecutive knee injuries that made him question his self-worth and value to the Broncos.

Brisbane’s most dangerous attacking player opened up on his Queensland derby demons as he prepares to right some wrongs in Sunday’s blockbuster against the Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium.

No Broncos fan will ever forget the pain of Brisbane‘s 2015 extra-time grand-final loss to North Queensland and Staggs has his own tale of misery when he confronts the Cowboys.

In the past 18 months, he has twice suffered injury breakdowns against the same northern rival at the same Suncorp venue.

In September 2020, Staggs suffered the worst injury of his career, snapping his ACL in Brisbane‘s 32-16 home loss to the Cowboys.

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Brisbane star Kotoni Staggs says he couldn’t bring himself to attend Broncos games during his recovery from a torn ACL. y Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Then in July last year, just four games back from a knee reconstruction, Staggs‘ two-try haul against North Queensland was tempered by the sight of him hobbling off Suncorp with a torn medial cruciate ligament in Brisbane’s 37-18 victory.

At rock bottom during his initial ACL recovery, Staggs found himself isolated, training away from his Broncos teammates, and feeling he was letting the entire club down at a time when Brisbane were floundering in the NRL cellar.

Sunday’s round 3 derby, before an expected crowd of almost 40,000, represents a chance for Staggs to exorcise his Cowboys demons — and emphatically close the door on his injury hell.

“I am keen to get back to my best again,” Staggs said as he braces for an enthralling centre duel with Cowboys rival Valentine Holmes.

“The last two years, I feel I’ve let my teammates and the Broncos fans down.

Kotoni Staggs leaves the field with a knee injury. Fingers crossed it's not a serious 🤞

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“At my worst, I didn’t want to go to some home games because I felt so bad letting everyone down.

“The injuries wore me down and it got to a point where I wasn’t enjoying footy and I didn’t want to be around the place.

“I would watch the game and when the guys are going through a tough time with results, I hated it … just sitting there not being able to contribute.

“I’ve had some bad luck against the Cowboys, but my knees are feeling good at the moment — touch wood — and this season is my chance to repay the Broncos.”

Such was Staggs’ personal feelings of failure, he considered hitting the eject button altogether at Red Hill and seeking a fresh start at another NRL club.

Off-contract during the latter stages of his ACL recovery last year, Staggs faced a career-defining decision. At least three NRL rivals came knocking. Their offers peaked at $800,000 a season.

Staggs considered quitting the Broncos and signing with the Knights this season as he weighed up a fresh start. Picture: Adam Head

Newcastle went hard. A move to the Knights appealed for Staggs as they are the NRL club closest to his hometown of Wellington, near Dubbo, in northwest NSW.

Ultimately, Staggs stayed loyal, inking a four-year, $2.8 million extension with the Broncos after a heart-to-heart with his mother, who told him running away wasn’t the answer.

“Deciding my future was huge. It was a close call,” he recalls.

“The Knights were really keen. I almost did leave to go there, but when I thought about going, I looked back to my time as a kid and I had set my dream to play for the Broncos.

“I didn’t just want to walk away from that. I’m glad I stayed at the Broncos and I don’t regret the decision at all.

“It was the right call.”

In the lead-up to Sunday’s derby, Staggs caught up with Broncos centre great Steve Renouf to model Brisbane’s heritage jersey from their maiden premiership win in 1992.

Three decades later, he is hungry to bring the title glory days back to Red Hill.

“I want to win a comp here, 100 per cent,” Staggs said.

“That’s why I play the game. I’m not playing just for fun out, we’re all playing for the same thing and that’s to win a premiership.

“The Broncos Old Boys were lucky to have a great team that won a lot of comps and one thing on my bucket list is to win a grand final with this club.

“I believe I can do that with the team we’ve got.”

Originally published as Broncos v Cowboys: Kotoni Staggs opens up about his derby injury demons