The Brisbane Broncos are set to roll out Adam Reynolds as their new marquee signing for the 2022 season when the side open their account against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, but club great Corey Parker doesn't want to see one name alongside him.
Head coach Kevin Walters has plenty of options at his disposal to use in the halves for 2022.
Albert Kelly and Tyson Gamble are thought to be leading the charge, while Ezra Mann will also be pushing for a debut at some point this season. One of the game's brightest young prospects, Mann has been on the radar of an early first-grade debut for years.
The Broncos rotated through multiple halves last season, however, the departure of the underperforming Brodie Croft and Anthony Milford, as well as the arrival of a clear first-choice halfback in Adam Reynolds should alleviate that as an issue.
The option who will throw a spanner in the works is Kotoni Staggs.
It has been tipped since mid last season that he could make a shift into the halves from as early as this season, and while he spent most of last season on the sidelines with injury, the speculation regarding the proposed swap hasn't died down.
But Corey Parker told Fox Sports that it's not a move he wants to see.
“He is just not a half, and to put that pressure on Kotoni to go into the spine in my opinion, is going to hinder his game and also the team,” Parker said.
“Kotoni Staggs is an enormous player and we have seen that he is the best centre in the game when he is fit.
“He just came back from a serious injury, he just needs to worry about playing football in the centres.
“There was a lot of talk about when he re-signed on the money he was on that he would move to the halves.
“That could just be a justification for signing him for that sort of money.
“With players like Albert Kelly and Adam Reynolds in the halves, they are experienced enough that they can get him ball when he needs ball, as opposed to a year or two ago when there was nothing going on they would throw Kotoni the ball like in under eights.
“Now they can actually work towards something and set him up with some space.”
Staggs is regularly rated among the best centres in the competition, and it made the rumours of him shifting into the halves all the more surprising.
Still, it's something he has openly talked about wanting to do previously, and the Broncos still yet may bite the bullet despite the form of Gamble and Kelly in patches last season.
