Something funny happened over the last couple of years: Corey Oates became an old man.
Key points:
- Brisbane’s Corey Oates has been one of the best wingers in the NRL in 2022, scoring 16 tries in as many games.
- Oates’ promotion comes after two years of struggles with form and fitness
- The 27-year-old is one of a number of Broncos stars who have improved out of sight as the club look to finish in the top four.
The Brisbane winger is far from the veteran category, given he’s still only 27, but as he’s also the Broncos’ longest-serving player after making his debut in 2013, he’s a fitting boot.
It means Oates is not taking the club’s promotion to the top four for granted, nor his own comeback to become one of the competition’s best wingers.
“There’s not much you can do about what’s happened. All you can do is learn,” Oates said.
“The team we have now, a lot of these guys have been through tough times and tough years, which is not something you want to go through, but when you come out the other end, and we’re not all there yet. – but the trust and belief are there.
“It wasn’t there a few years ago, and it was a hard feeling to have.”
Like many Broncos players, Oates was lost during his club years in the wild.
Once one of the best wingers in the competition, Oates fell off a cliff in 2020-21. His prolific completion rate deserted him as he crossed just six attempts in 28 games over the two seasons.
By the end, the Queensland Origin winger was struggling for Brisbane’s top 17.
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“It’s nothing against the club or the coaches, I felt really good in 2021, I didn’t have the game time or the chance to prove it. It’s okay, because the year I had in 2020… no you should have chosen me,” Oates said.
“But I was in the first round this year and I was able to go from there.”
In the midst of a rejuvenated run this season, Oates’ comeback has been something of a one-off.
For players like Patrick Carrigan, Selwyn Cobbo and Tesi Niu, all early-career players, rapid improvement once the environment around them improved was always in sight.
But for players like Oates, who have already reached some lofty heights only to be knocked down again, it’s much harder to turn things around.
To his credit, Oates has not only matched his form of recent years, but is in the midst of possibly the best season of his career.
Oates has been scoring tries in any way possible in 2022. (Getty: Bradley Kanaris)
how’s it going Good enough to score 16 tries in as many games, good enough to run more meters than any other winger in the competition, good enough not to be in serious discussion for a team of the year let alone Baralaba’s big horse.
While Oates has always boasted a strong attacking game, his defense has also been top class in 2022 – he shut down numerous Parramatta forays in last week’s win over Brisbane, synchronizing his charges on the field in the perfection as the Broncos showed defensive zeal to a maximum. -class team to keep the Eels scoreless in the second half.
“These decisions for me are easy, because everyone does the hard work and I just have to follow along. But the belief of defending teams for multiple sets is huge,” Oates said.
“We used to let teams in after four innings, that’s a huge change for us, and that’s down to the coaches. Not just the players, the coaches prepared us all and we’re constantly trying to get better.”
Those past struggles are now a memory, but Oates believes the scars have served to galvanize the younger players.
“We’re just enjoying something different than the last few years, which weren’t good and weren’t nice,” Oates said.
“There are a lot of young guys where those years were the start of their careers, the difference in feeling around the club and the dressing room, they don’t want that to go away.
“When I first came in there were a lot of older players in the team, and now there are a lot of guys younger than me and a lot of them played youth football together so they’ve known each other for a long time and” I have great friendships and bonds.
“Those hard times have brought us closer and I think it shows.”