‘He was very close to playing’: Kotoni Staggs ruled out of Cowboys clash

The Broncos will be without one of their most dangerous players on Friday night, but Kotoni Staggs’ return date has been locked in.

The Broncos have decided to keep Kotoni Staggs on ice for one more game, with the strike centre set to return next week for the blockbuster derby against the Dolphins.

Staggs suffered a setback in the trials and missed the opening two rounds, but there were hopes that he would be right to play the Cowboys on Friday night after he was named in the extended squad.

The 26-year-old trained this week but the hip issue isn’t quite right, with Staggs to sit out the home clash against the Cowboys who are reeling after back-to-back losses to start the season.

Kotoni Staggs won’t be rushed back for Brisbane’s game against the Cowboys. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“Kotoni won’t play but he will be in the 19 (man squad),” Broncos coach Michael Maguire said.

“We have done a lot of work to get him to this point but I feel at this present moment with where Kotoni is at, I will keep him on edge there.

“He is in good shape.

“He was very close to playing, but Kotoni has had a few issues with his injury. It was touch-and-go, but it’s the right thing to do at the moment for Kotoni and allow him to have more time.

“It’s just up in the hip flexor, it’s a bit higher than his quad, they can be tricky at times.

“He trained really well. He was excellent. He has done a lot of work and he had that issue last year as well, but he has worked really hard to make sure he is ready to go.

“I just think it’s the right decision at this present moment to give him some more time.”

It means Maguire avoids a selection headache for another week, with Deine Mariner and Gehamat Shibasaki set to fight it out for the left centre spot next week.

Maguire has other things to worry about as he looks to get his side back on track after they were outplayed by the Raiders last week.

The Broncos are coming off a big loss to Canberra where some of their best players struggled. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

The Broncos looked like premiership favourites after they put 50 points on the Roosters in round one but copped a reality check as superstar fullback Reece Walsh had one of his worst ever games.

They get a great chance to respond at home against the Cowboys who appear to be out of sorts, with Maguire still coming to terms with what it takes to coach one of the biggest sporting organisations in the country.

“I probably won’t give too much away but I am learning (about) the organisation, the noise and how we roll from week-to-week,” he said.

“I am getting an understanding of how you best prepare and the mental state of the organisation.

“I learned a lot. That is what I was alluding to. The enormity of the club. It gets going doesn’t it?

“Last week was a really good one for me to realise that there are a few things there that I could look at myself to make sure we are set and ready to go.”