Broncos star Corey Oates feared his NRL career was over after freak injury
Speaking from his hospital bed just before being wheeled in for surgery, Corey Oates revealed he had begun preparing himself for NRL retirement after a horror injury prognosis.
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Injured Broncos utility Corey Oates says he feared his NRL career was over and began thinking of jobs in the general workforce after being told he suffered a compound fracture in Friday night’s 48-0 loss to the Tigers.
Speaking to News Corp from his hospital bed just before being wheeled in for surgery, Oates spoke of his relief after scans cleared him of a career-threatening compound fracture in his femur.
The 25-year-old was instead diagnosed with a large haematoma and deep gash to his left leg and faces three to four weeks on the sidelines.
Oates’ former Broncos teammate Jharal Yow Yeh was an Origin and Test star when he suffered a compound fracture of his ankle in 2012 and never played NRL again.
Queensland Origin winger Oates was stretchered off Leichhardt Oval with medicos advising him of a compound fracture and as he lay in the ambulance, he prepared himself for NRL retirement.
“I was in shock in the ambulance,” he said.
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“I was running options through my head thinking what job can I do now?
“I thought football was over for me, so I started wondering what type of job I could do in retirement.
“Then the scans came back and they said to me there’s no break. I can’t believe it. I was convinced it was a compound fracture and that my career was over.
“I was booked in for surgery at 7am (on Saturday morning), but there had been two emergencies this morning so I was put back a few hours.
“I’m just relieved I will be able to play football again.”
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Oates suffered the freak injury in the 64th minute. He took a pass close to the tryline and appeared certain to score, but when Luciano Leilua came flying across in cover, Oates was rolled over, with the Tigers forward’s 114kg frame crushing his left leg.
“I looked down and there was a cut,” he recalled.
“I tried to walk off but a big bubble popped up on my leg and I felt some pain. I fell to the ground because I didn’t want to do any further damage.
“I was rattled.
“The trainers said to me it’s a compound fracture but I kept saying it doesn’t feel that bad. It’s hurting, but if it was a compound fracture surely I would be in agony?
“The docs then gave me the green whistle (for pain relief) and I said what’s this for? They said it’s a compound fracture and then I s*** myself. I panicked. I thought that’s it, my career is over.”
Oates said doctors couldn’t explain how he suffered his gash. The Broncos veteran’s concern now is the risk of post-surgery infection because of his medical history with a staph problem.
“The doctors have no idea how it happened,” he said.
“They have watched the video over and over. The cut is not a normal tag mark from a stud. The cut is round, about the size of a 50-cent piece.
“They have to open up the cut a bit bigger and make sure there is no damage inside. Hopefully nothing else is damaged.
“The worry for me now is infection. I have had staph infections before from surgery so I have told them I have a history of staph infections. They have called the hospital in Brisbane to get the antibiotics I was on before to make sure I don’t get another infection.
“My wife (Tegan) was like me, she was just rattled. She thought my career was over. The chance of me coming back if it was a compound fracture was slim to none.
“When Adam Walsh (Broncos welfare officer) called her to say I’m OK, she was relieved.”