Wellington junior and Brisbane Broncos star Kotoni Staggs has received a big endorsement as he pushes his claim for a maiden NSW jersey.
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Staggs is one of the front-runners to replace injured South Sydney star Latrell Mitchell in Brad Fittler's NSW State of Origin team in just over six weeks' time.
After a quiet opening month of football, Staggs has been exceptional in his last two matches, getting back to his explosive best against the Roosters and Panthers.
"It is going to be hard to dent Kotoni Staggs' form of late,
- Ryan Girdler
Following his side's 40-12 loss to the Panthers on Friday, Staggs received some big praise from former NRL player Ryan Girdler who sang the praises for the Wellington junior on Triple M's Saturday Scrum.
"It is going to be hard to dent Kotoni Staggs' form of late," he said.
"I think a lot of his form often gets overlooked, Crichton has been in great touch and he contributes on a weekly basis, he is really consistent, he is a great defensive player and is always looking for work and has a great attitude towards the game.
"He is certainly going to be there or thereabouts, but the way that Kotoni (Staggs) has just single-handedly sort of dismantled the opposition in two consecutive weeks against some quality talented players, he is going to be pushing for a spot as well."
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Staggs is no stranger to being in the conversation for an NSW berth after having been talked about for a spot in previous years before injury ruled him out.
With Mitchell out for the opening Origin game, Crichton is the choice for a lot of commentators due to his connection with Penrith clubmates Jarome Luai, Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and Brian To'o, all of whom will likely line up for NSW in game one.
But with Staggs, he is more of a like-for-like replacement for Mitchell, with both players possessing the ability to break a game open, as well as being capable of match-winning plays.
Staggs will have another chance to impress on Friday when the Broncos host the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
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