Brisbane Broncos coach Michael Maguire has confirmed Kotoni Staggs will not play this weekend against the North Queensland Cowboys.
Staggs suffered a hip injury late into the pre-season and has been kept on the sidelines to start the season.
Brisbane had initially suggested a return timeline of somewhere between Round 4 and Round 6, so eyebrows were raised when he was included in the extended squad to take on the Cowboys this weekend.
But Maguire, speaking to the media the day before the game, confirmed Staggs needs more time on the sidelines, even though he will be part of the final 19-man squad for the game at Suncorp Stadium on Friday evening.
โKotoni won't play but he will be in the 19 (man squad),โ Maguire told the media.
โWe 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.
โHe 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.
โIt's just up in the hip flexor, it's a bit higher than his quad, they can be tricky at times."
It means the Broncos and their fans will wait another week to find out who is going to be the starting centres going forward, with Gehamat Shibasaki and Deine Mariner to again take to the field this weekend.
It was reported late in the pre-season that Shibasaki had the inside running on the centre spot alongside Staggs in Brisbane's best 17, with Mariner switching to the centres after playing on the wing throughout last season.
