Brisbane Broncos star and former Blues representative Kotoni Staggs has disclosed the reason why he decided to remain a Bronco despite attracting interest from rival clubs.
While the Broncos may have earned a home final and are one of the favourites to make the Grand Final, their trip to the finals has been rocky.
Only three seasons ago in 2020, the club finished in last place on the ladder, claiming their maiden Wooden Spoon. In what was an embarrassing time for the club, their poor performances saw a host of changes to the playing squad and coaching staff. While they are constantly regarded as one of the most consistent and successful teams in the competition, it was a hard time for the faithful fans of the club.
It was also during this time that Kotoni Staggs was reportedly garnering interest from several clubs. It was understood at the time that the Eels, Knights, Bulldogs and Titans were all interested in gaining his signature.
However, the 24-year-old stayed loyal to the Broncos and would go on to ink a deal to the end of 2025. His loyalty would pay off, with the Red Hill outfit close to winning their first NRL premiership this season since the glory days of 2006.
“I love this club, it's always been the club I've wanted to be a part of. I just knew there were good things coming, and I'm glad that I did re-sign, and I'm here now,” Staggs said via the Herald.
“There's a few boys who have been through it all. That season we got the wooden spoon was pretty tough, to take that all in and soak it up.
“To be where we are now, it's just one step towards where we need to go to, but we're just looking forward to each week as it comes.
“Kevvie has been there before ... I think it was just a matter of time for us boys to get together and do what he wanted to do at the club.
“We're all on board with that. I think in previous years we didn't really take an onus on leadership and where we wanted to go, we weren't all on board.”
The Brisbane Broncos will take on the Melbourne Storm at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night to kick off the 2023 NRL finals series.