STAR WINGER ON TR ACK T O TACKLE S TORM

BRONCOS winger Corey Oates is on track to make a swift recovery for Friday’s do- or- die clash with the Melbourne Storm.

The towering back went for scans yesterday to ensure he is recovering well from the sickening head knock that left him concussed and bloody in last Friday’s finals victory over the Panthers.

But should the results show no problems when returned to Brisbane today, it will put Oates one step closer to a thrilling showdown with Suliasi Vunivalu.

Oates only trained lightly at yesterday’s session at Red Hill, doing cardio work with teammate Jai Arrow, who also cussion last week.

But the club’s high performance manager Jeremy Hickmans said the run was the first essential step in the 22- year- old’s recovery.

Hickmans said that while Oates was a bit “dusty” on Saturday morning, he had not suffered dizziness, illness or memory issues and was going through the necessary protocols to play on Friday.

“He’s looking pretty Hickmans said.

“He’s got to go through certain steps. He did some cardio ( yesterday) and will do some skills ( today).

“It’s just about increasing his workload and staying away from heavy weights and contact in the suffered con- good,” first few days. At the moment he has no symptoms and passed the first few tests. He got a few ticks ( yesterday).”

Hickmans said some of Brisbane’s protocols were “above and beyond” what was required from the NRL, including the scans that Oates underwent yesterday.

The Broncos will desperately need their star back to line up against Vunivalu, given their history with the Fijian flyer.

When Oates was injured in a clash with Melbourne last year, the 192cm- tall winger went on to score a hat- trick. This year while Oates was battling a staph infection, Vunivalu scored a double against David Mead.