Brisbane Broncos 2021: Kevin Walters set to shift Corey Oates to second row

Corey Oates might be one of the club’s most prolific try scorers on the wing, but the 26-year-old is set for a huge positional switch next year.

Corey Oates has already begun training with the Brisbane forwards. Picture: Annette Dew

Corey Oates is set to make a permanent switch to the Broncos back row next year as coach Kevin Walters looks to spark some fresh energy back into the former Maroons star.

The 26-year-old has been Brisbane’s premier winger for the past five seasons, becoming the club’s sixth highest tryscorer with 94 and representing Queensland eight times on the wing.

However, after a tumultuous 2020 season, the 192cm tall timber was dropped to the bench for the Broncos’ final game of the year against the Cowboys, sparking concerns about his playing future.

Kayo is your ticket to the best sport streaming Live & On-Demand. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Coach Kevin Walters will be spending the next 10 week turning Corey Oates into a bona fide backrower. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Now, Walters is moulding the Yeppoon product into becoming a Brisbane backrower for the 2021 season in a move Oates has long been calling for.

The 156-game Bronco began his junior footy days in the back row while playing for St Brendan’s College in Yeppoon and was also named in the 2013 NYC team of the year as a backrower.

Walters is now preparing to play him as an edge backrower as part of Brisbane’s 2021 campaign.

“We’ve been training Corey on the edge,” Walters said.

“That’s where we feel he is best suited for us at this time.”

Corey Oates has the frame to handle the back row. Picture: Annette Dew

Oates has played just seven games as a starting backrower during his eight seasons with the Broncos, including three times in 2020.

He has spent several sessions training with the forward pack during the pre-season already, and Walters remains hopeful he will be ready by their season opener in March.

“He’s played a lot of games for us on the wing but not a lot in the back row so it’s all about the next 10 weeks or so getting him accustomed to a different position and the different challenges that comes with it,” he said.

Oates told The Courier-Mail in June that the bevy of backline talent now at the Broncos could force him to move back into the forwards.

“With the talent the Broncos have got, guys like Xavier Coates and Herbie Farnworth, you have to look at where I am best suited to the team and that might be in the forwards,” Oates said.

“I’m not saying these young kids bring any more to the position than I do, but I did come through as a back-rower and I enjoyed being back there last week.

“I honestly have no idea where I stand moving forward.

“I’d love to have another crack at the back row again.”

Originally published as Brisbane Broncos 2021: Kevin Walters set to shift Corey Oates to second row