2 days ago
Fresh blow for Kangaroos as Broncos teammate could join Payne Haas in Test switch
Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters faces the prospect of losing another player for the Ashes after Payne's Haas' defection to Samoa, with fellow Broncos star Kotoni Staggs weighing up a potential Test switch. Staggs played three Tests for Australia in 2023, having previously represented Tonga in 2019 and 2022.
The barnstorming centre has been in superb form for the Broncos this season and has been integral to a late-season surge that has them sitting on the cusp of the NRL top-four. Brisbane are currently sixth but sit just two points behind the fourth-placed Warriors ahead of Sunday's game against the struggling Knights.
And the form of Staggs has catapulted him into Test calculations for the Kangaroos' end-of-season tour of England, where they'll compete in the first Ashes series in 22 years. Walters' stocks at centre have already taken a hit, with three Origin centres unavailable for selection in the Kangaroos' squad.
Blues centre Stephen Crichton has been an ever-present in the Samoa side in recent years, while Queensland rookie Robert Toia has committed his allegiance to Tonga. Fellow Maroons centre Valentine Holmes is also out for the season with a shoulder injury, meaning Staggs' hopes of receiving a Test call-up have dramatically improved.
Kotoni Staggs could switch his allegiance from Kangaroos
The hard-running, tough-tackling Broncos star has the ideal game for Test footy and he has a strong relationship with Walters after working under Australia's coach at the Broncos. But Staggs made it clear last week that he could have a big decision to make about his Test future, despite his full focus being on the rest of Brisbane's NRL season.
'I can either play for Tonga or Australia,' Staggs said. 'I will see how I go for the rest of the season but my main focus is here and trying to win a grand final. Whatever comes after that. I will make a decision.'
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The lure of playing in an Ashes series will obviously be massive if Staggs is picked in Walters' Australia squad. The Kangaroos' three-Test series begins in October and will see them lock horns with England at three iconic venues - London's Wembley Stadium, Liverpool's Everton Stadium and Headingley in Leeds.
Maroons Origin great Chris Close is a huge admirer of Staggs and believes the Broncos centre would be an ideal addition to Walters' Kangaroos squad. 'He is not afraid of anything and he has shown that time and again by the way he throws himself into the contest," Close told News Corp.
'It is a rough and tumble game in England, they have big blokes rumbling up the middle and also out wide but Staggs is not going to be intimidated by any of that. I think he would come into his own at that level. He has a bit of polish about him. He has a good body swerve, he can use his palm and hit the line hard."
Walters will be desperate not to lose any more Kangaroos regulars to rival nations, following Haas' defection to Samoa. However, there are reports Maroons stars Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow could also follow suit and turn their backs on Australia ahead of the Ashes. Tabuai-Fidow starred in the centres for the Kangaroos in last year's Pacific Championship triumph and if he were to defect to Samoa as well, it would further improve Staggs' chances of earning a Test call-up for Australia.
