A Vegas win for Oates
Resilient veteran Corey a healthy chance to start opener
Broncos veteran Corey Oates has resurrected his NRL career and is set to start on his beloved left wing in Brisbane’s Las Vegas season-opener.
Oates is in the box seat to return to the Broncos’ top team after sitting out last year’s heartbreaking grand final loss to Penrith.
Oates, 29, was left fighting for his NRL future last year on the back of multiple injuries which restricted him to just nine games and no tries in the toughest season of his career.
However the 201-game Broncos great has risen from the ashes again after taking a pay cut to remain at Red Hill and is on track to feature in
Brisbane’s starting 13 for the America extravaganza against the Roosters on March 3.
The cross-town move of Dolphins defector Herbie Farnworth has prompted a shake-up of the Broncos’ backline.
Coach Kevin Walters has shifted Selwyn Cobbo from right wing to left centre to replace Farnworth, while grand final standout Jesse Arthars, who suffered a minor ankle injury last week, is expected to move across to the right wing.
That has opened up a spot on the left wing – where Oates has excelled for the majority of his NRL career since his 2013 debut.
Walters is expected to give Oates first crack at the position ahead of rising star Deine Mariner.
The Broncos will relish having Oates’ priceless ball-carrying talents back in the team and the previously injuryprone flyer has looked slick in pre-season training alongside Cobbo.
Broncos prop Corey Jensen said it was good to see Oates back on the field following his injury struggles of 2023.
“It’s really good to see him out there in the pre-season,” he said.
“He’s the same age as me, so he’s not getting any younger.
“We find ways to get little niggles, but it’s good to see him on the paddock and training well too.”
Despite only turning 29 last year, Oates could be entering the twilight of his NRL career due to the battering his body has taken in 11 seasons.
However his 2022 season – which yielded 20 tries in 22 games and a return to the Queensland Origin team – was the best campaign of his career and he could be a quality performer for the Broncos this year if he remains fit.
Earlier in the pre-season, Oates said he wasn’t thinking about retirement and believed he could be a solid contributor for the Broncos in 2024 following jaw and knee injuries last season.
“I don’t want it to be my last year,” he said.
“You work so hard for so many years, I don’t want my decision to be anyone else’s. I want it to be my own.
“I don’t want it to be (2024). That means I feel like I’ve got another couple in me still.
“We’ll see how the year goes. Hopefully it’s a lot better than last year and more positive and the club still has belief in me.
“I felt really good leading into the finals and wanted to keep pushing that at training. There’ll be nothing different this year.
“I’ll be trying to prove to myself that I’ve still got it and hopefully the coaches have the belief in me.”
Arthars has been on restricted training after rolling his ankle last week, with Mariner filling in on the right wing.