‘I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong,’ Corey Oates speaks out over alleged pub scandal

Corey Oates has opened up about his role alongside up to nine other Broncos players who have been cleared of breaching COVID-19 restrictions, but may be in breach of the “NRL bubble” guidelines, by gathering at the bar of a Brisbane hotel on the day after an NRL game.

Broncos star Corey Oates said he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong when having lunch and drinking beers at a northside pub earlier this month.

It comes after The Courier-Mail broke news that up to 10 Brisbane Broncos players are under investigation by police over possible breaches to COVID restrictions when they were seen socialising at the Everton Park Hotel the day after the July 31 clash with the Cronulla Sharks.

Among the group were believed to be David Fifita, Kotoni Staggs, Jake Turpin and Oates.

Police have since concluded the did not breach health directives.

But the investigation into whether they breached the “NRL bubble” will continue through Queensland Health and the NRL Integrity Unit.

Corey Oates at Red Hill Training. Pic Annette Dew

Oates dialled in to Nova 106.9’s Ash, Kip & Luttsy with Susie O’Neill on Thursday morning, saying if he is found to have breached COVID restrictions, it would have been a “massive mistake”.

“I guess the stuff going around with the pub stuff and whatnot, all I know is that the club and NRL are working together to find out if there has been a COVID breach,” he said.

“And look, me personally I was just going there for lunch and had two beers I think and I drove home and that was it, I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong.”

The NRL wrote to all clubs on June 23 telling players they could not visit pubs, RSLs, leagues clubs, bowls clubs or surf clubs.

“If that’s what comes out and we get done that’s probably irresponsible from me doing that, but look it really wasn’t intentional if they do come out and say there is a COVID breach, it was just a massive mistake from me,” he said.

Corey Oates was one of the Broncos players at the Everton Park hotel on August 1. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

It’s been a tough few weeks for the Broncos team, with Tevita Pangai Jr fined $30,000 by the NRL and stood down over breach of COVID protocols and online, salacious rumours about coach Anthony Seibold.

“Yeah look it hasn’t been a great week personally also and for the club, a lot of rumours were getting around that were untrue and so farfetched it’s not a joke and I wasn’t happy with a few of them,” Oates told the brekky FM show.

He went on to say that while he’s out of the game for a few weeks recovering from an injury, he is keen to end the season strong to “silence” the “outside noise”.

“With all the outside noise I don’t think it’s been too much different for us, we’re honestly trying to finish the season off well and that’s what we want to do, we want to try and put some good performances together and come together as a tighter group,” he said.

“I think we’re going to stick tight through everything and through this it’s another thing that we’ve gotta deal with, the group we have is young but we’re all pretty close.

“It’s tough to cop all the stuff that’s been happening the last few weeks, but that’s a part of our job and that’s what comes with it and I just feel for some of the younger fellas I hope they’re coping well with it all.”