Due to a quad injury sustained during the tryouts, Brisbane’s standout centre Kotoni Staggs will miss the first few games of the new season.
Before the Broncos’ season officially starts against the Sydney Roosters on Thursday night, they played Canterbury in their last NRL Pre-Season Challenge match.
In the preseason tournament, Michael Maguire’s team fought their way to victory over the Dogs, which was sufficient to guarantee them their second consecutive championship.
However, the triumph came at a high cost, as Staggs was pulled from the match after just ten minutes.
When will the Broncos see Kotoni Staggs recover from his quad injury?
It was then disclosed by Brisbane’s Head of Performance Dave Ballard that Kotoni had suffered a quad injury and would be spending the next four to six weeks with our rehabilitation team.
“We know he’ll be doing everything he can to get back on the paddock.”
Maguire is devastated by the injury, as the new coach pointed out that the Tongan international has been instrumental in establishing the norms at Red Hill ever since he arrived.
In the off-season, the premiership-winning coach took Kevin Walters’ position and made a number of important decisions right away.
After a lacklustre season, Selwyn Cobbo was relegated to the wing, while Staggs was elevated to the leadership group as the 26-year-old’s new deal allegedly approaches completion.
But in an effort to start the season strong, the Broncos will have to play without Staggs for the first few games.
Following their thrilling match against the Chooks on Thursday night, the Broncos will head to Canberra, the nation’s capital.
They will play the Dolphins and North Queensland in back-to-back Friday night derby games at Suncorp Stadium for a total of four weeks.
Then, to complete their first six weeks of football, Brisbane will play the Wests Tigers and the Roosters at home.
Which Broncos games would Kotoni Staggs miss?
| Round | Date | Match | Time | Venue |
| 1 | Thurs. March 6 | Roosters vs. Broncos | 8:00pm (AEDT) | Allianz Stadium |
| 2 | Sat. March 15 | Raiders vs. Broncos | 7:35pm (AEDT) | GIO Stadium |
| 3 | Fri. March 21 | Broncos vs. Cowboys | 8:05pm (AEDT) | Suncorp Stadium |
| 4 | Fri. March 28 | Dolphins vs. Broncos | 8:05pm (AEDT) | Suncorp Stadium |
| 5 | Sat. April 5 | Broncos vs. Tigers | 7.35pm (AEDT) | Suncorp Stadium |
| 6 | Fri. April 11 | Broncos vs. Roosters | 8:00pm (AEST) | Suncorp Stadium |
