Oates in better mindset
RUGBY LEAGUE BRONCOS winger Corey Oates says he has overcome the anguish of the 2015 grand final and fixed the defensive flaws that haunted him for two years.
Oates was left devastated after making a fatal mistake and allowing rival winger Kyle Feldt to score the historic try that helped North Queensland to their first NRL title.
The towering Oates was sucked off his wing by a dancing Michael Morgan with just a few seconds to go in the epic all-Queensland decider, leaving Feldt open to score.
Feldt’s try sent the grand final to golden point and Johnathan Thurston kicked the field goal to win the Cowboys their first NRL premiership.
Oates, 22, went on to make his State of Origin debut for Queensland last year but has only recently realised he has fully recovered from the grand final heartbreak.
He will confront Feldt and the Cowboys in tomorrow’s final-round derby in Townsville and is determined to help the Broncos go those few seconds further in 2017.
“It was one mistake. You can’t dwell on it. You can’t go back and change it,” Oates said.
“You’ve got to move on and not make that mistake again.
“I’ve been working on trusting my centre and reacting off what he does. That is my job. I need to back their decision.
“We can go that little bit further this year. It’s not much. Probably a couple of seconds.
“We want to get back there and do the job properly.”
Oates was in the infancy of his NRL career in the 2015 grand final, a junior backrower who had been transformed into a winger.
His partnership with Jack Reed buckled under pressure that night at ANZ Stadium but he believes he is a much stronger defender now.
The emergence of 107kg centre Tautau Moga has given Brisbane an added attacking dimension on the left side and Oates said the Broncos were now stronger defensively out wide. “He is a big boy,” Oates said. “He’s had a tough career with all the injuries but he’s improved with every game this year.”
Oates is determined to not let Brisbane’s opportunity slip this year. He missed four games following a serious infection in his hips but has scored five tries in four matches since.
“Slowly is a good word for it,” Oates said of his comeback.
“I’m not too disappointed in my previous weeks, but I’ve still got a bit to improve.
“I’m finding some game fitness and trying to get back into the role of eating metres off the line. Six weeks off is a fair stint. Trying to come back into the finals is probably a tough ask.”
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