Revealed: The conversation Corey Oates had with Kevin Walters which sparked a form reversal
Enjoying the best statistical season of his 10-year NRL career, Corey Oates’ time in the game was anything but that 12 months ago. And it all stems from a candid one-on-one conversation.
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It was a candid conversation with Kevin Walters that ultimately saved Corey Oates’ NRL career.
And the Broncos winger has repaid his coach’s faith and then some by producing one of the best footy comeback campaigns in modern memory.
Oates was exiled to the Queensland Cup only 12 months ago — unable to earn a recall to a team that was languishing at the foot of the ladder.
After just six tries in 28 NRL games across two seasons, Oates’ career sat at a significant crossroads but it took him a long time to notice.
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“I have to thank Kevvie,” Oates declared last month following his State of Origin selection.
“He just wanted me to be the player I was and the player everyone knew I could be, and when he said that at the time I said, ‘What are you talking about? I’m still that person’. I look back now and I definitely wasn’t. I wasn’t even a shadow of that.”
Fast-forward to now and he is enjoying the best statistical season of his 10-year NRL career, punctuated by a first-half try in Saturday night’s crucial win over Newcastle.
It was the 27-year-old’s 19th try in as many games, surpassing the previous high watermark of 18 he set in the 2016 and 2018 seasons.
“Is it the most games I’ve played (in a season)?” laughed Oates after the win.
It’s not, actually. It is however 19 more than many — Oates included — at one point felt he would manage in 2022. But just as the Broncos have surged back into the NRL’s competitive consciousness this season, so too has Oates.
He and fledgling flyer Selwyn Cobbo have struck up an incredible try-scoring partnership, combining for four in the win over Newcastle and 34 in total.
“Wingers just have to do their job and when the team is playing well and getting to the spots, you just have to put the ball down sometimes,” Oates told News Corp.
“This year there’s been plenty of them (tries). Everyone is doing their job and I have to do mine (which is) finish off the tries off (attacking) shapes.
“I’m just enjoying it and getting the rewards is great.”
Learning to enjoy his footy again has been the catalyst for Oates’ incredible resurgence. When the winger was dropped last season, Broncos legend Wally Lewis said he looked like “a lost soul”.
Now he is on the cusp of signing a two-year contract extension and shapes as a pivotal piece in Brisbane’s set-up as the finals fast approach.
“The last few weeks (of losing) haven’t been fun,” Oates said.
“(But) I’m honestly having fun, I’m enjoying it and that’s what rugby league is. I should be enjoying it.
“The last few years I definitely wasn’t feeling great and it definitely wasn’t fun. It’s amazing what happens when 17 blokes do their job.”
Walters hailed Oates’ career comeback in the post-match on Saturday night.
“He’s having a great year, Oatesy, and again tonight,” Walters said.
“They kept bombing to him and he kept responding with good catches and strong returns. It was great to see him pick up the try as well.
“I think he’s scored more tries this year than he has in any other season and that’s tribute to him and the work he’s putting into his game, and also those players around him who are providing opportunities for him to score those tries.”
Up next is an enticing Friday night blockbuster against the resurgent Melbourne Storm and head-to-head battle with former teammate Xavier Coates.
The Broncos have won just 13 of 51 meetings with the Storm. They need to win at least one of their final three games to lock up a finals spot.
Broncos facing moment of truth as finals race heats up
The Broncos are limping towards a drought-breaking finals appearance after snapping a two-game losing streak with a shaky 28-10 win against the lowly Knights on Saturday night.
It was a strange night at Suncorp Stadium in the wake of former Broncos player and assistant coach Paul Green’s sudden death.
After bolting to an 18-0 halftime lead in front of 25,742, the Broncos let Newcastle back into the contest with a lethargic second half in greasy conditions as the Knights pulled it back to 18-10.
A hat-trick to flying winger Selwyn Cobbo helped the Broncos survive a late scare and edge closer to their first finals berth since 2019.
With 13 wins, the Broncos will finish the round in sixth spot on the ladder with three games to play ahead of a Friday night blockbuster against the Storm at Suncorp.
The Titans played finals last year with just 10 wins but the top eight cut-off is shaping up to be 14 victories this season, meaning Brisbane needs at least one win from games against the Storm, Eels and Dragons to ensure a playoffs berth.
Unless they improve significantly they face being finals fodder against red-hot teams like the Roosters and Rabbitohs that are surging into September.
“Every game is crucial, but when you get down to the pointy end and the situation on the ladder, you’ve got to keep winning and doing the things you do well,” Broncos coach Kevin Walters said.
“We made some good progress tonight in a lot of areas. There’s still a lot of work to be done and improvement in us but we got the win.
“I saw some signs that we can do some good things in the next couple of weeks.
“Our first-half defence was really good and we scored some good tries. A lot of our players were a lot better.”
MARTIN MAGIC RETURNS
Have the Broncos made an error in letting Te Maire Martin leave the club?
Martin returned at fullback for the first time since round 16 and made an instant impact.
The reborn Kiwi was safe at the back, straightened up Brisbane’s attack and had a hand in two tries, including a sensational 70m effort started and finished by five-eighth Ezra Mam.
The Broncos have won eight of 10 games Martin has played this year after fighting back from a brain bleed.
Martin will head to the Warriors next year on the back of Reece Walsh’s move to the Broncos, but he would have been a handy player to keep at Red Hill.
COBBO AND COATES ON A ROLL
Cobbo missed four straight Broncos games through the Origin period as he struggled to back up and dealt with the effects of a serious concussion.
He was quiet in his return against the Roosters last week but bounced back to his energetic best on Saturday night.
When the Broncos were firing earlier in the season, Cobbo was a potent force on the right flank alongside Kotoni Staggs.
He ran for 175m and scored three tries, including two in the final eight minutes, in what was an encouraging performance.
On the other side of the field, Corey Oates continued his mercurial rise with 215m and a record 19th try for the season, his best return in 10 years of first grade.
The Broncos need their Origin wingers at their best when the finals roll around and they are in fine touch.
TOM’S MAJOR PROBLEM
If Tom Flegler wants to hit the open market in November and become one of the game’s highest-paid props then he has to fix his shocking discipline.
Flegler was placed on report for a high shot on Anthony Milford in the sixth minute and could be facing time on the sidelines due to his poor record.
Flegler spends too much time suspended and gives away too many penalties to demand top dollar. His performances are also inconsistent compared to sparring partners Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan.
The Broncos big man has great potential but has to be a more reliable player before he is worth top dollar.
MILFORD’S SUNCORP KNIGHT-MARE
Suncorp Stadium was once Milford’s field of dreams. Last night it became his house of horrors.
Milford faced the Broncos in Brisbane for the first time since being shown the door at Red Hill last year and it was far from a fairytale homecoming.
He was forced from the field in the first half for a head injury assessment and struggled to have a meaningful impact on the game.
Suncorp will once again become Milford’s home next year when he joins the Dolphins and he will be hoping for more success.
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