Corey Oates will test his value as Wayne Bennett warns Brisbane will lose some stars
WAYNE Bennett concedes salary-cap pressures will force some players out of the Broncos as star winger Corey Oates revealed plans to test his value on the open market.
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WAYNE Bennett concedes salary-cap pressures will force some players out of the Broncos as star winger Corey Oates revealed plans to test his value on the open market.
The Broncos have 16 players off-contract this season, including Oates, who heads into Saturday’s clash against Manly in the Suncorp double-header with his future at Red Hill increasingly uncertain.
The towering winger hopes to stay at the Broncos, but with the club fighting to stave-off poaching raids for their young guns, Oates can earn more elsewhere, prompting him to explore his options.
As revealed by The Courier-Mail last Monday, South Sydney have tabled a $1.5 million deal for Brisbane back-row sensation Jaydn Su’A. Other off-contract Broncos include NRL regulars Matt Lodge, Tevita Pangai Jr, Korbin Sims, Tom Opacic, Korbin Sims, Jamayne Isaako and Oates.
Last season, the Broncos lost six players — Ben Hunt, Herman Ese’ese, Tautau Moga, Adam Blair, Benji Marshall and Jai Arrow — to more lucrative offers and Bennett admits others, possibly Oates, could join the exodus.
“It’s not possible for us to keep them all,” Bennett said ahead of tonight’s Manly showdown.
“We have to make some good decisions about who we keep and who we let go.
“I’m confident we’ll keep Corey, but there’s no guarantees. We want him to stay here so we’ll try and work out a deal.
“You can’t keep them all. That’s why we’ve had to let players go over the last three or four years, that’s what the salary cap is designed for.
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“We produce probably more players than any club in the game and everyone wants our players.
“It’s just the nature of the business and we either get guys to stay here ... or we let them go.”
The Oates saga is particularly complex. The former Maroons winger is in the process of severing ties with his agent, whose current management deal expires in August.
It means Oates is reluctant to sign any new contract until September, giving him time to negotiate with rival clubs. But the 23-year-old also accepts there is an element of risk in remaining a free agent at a time when the NRL finals will be approaching.
A veteran of 105 NRL games, Oates turns 24 in October and is confronting the most important contract negotiation of his career.
“I am happy with how I am going ... I will start testing myself on the open market,” he said.
“I am letting my footy do its talking and when the deals come, I will look at them.
“I am just trying to play consistent footy. I haven’t been in talks yet, but you are always happy to test yourself on the open market see what you are worth.”
Su’A is among a posse of rookies Bennett rates the best batch he has seen at Red Hill in 10 years. The super coach is determined not to lose his young guns to NRL clubs.
“The young guys are a priority for us,” he said. “I’m confident we’ll keep them.”
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