NRL 2020: The five best Broncos wingers in history

As the Broncos look to a new generation on the wing with the rise of Xavier Coates, we look back at the five greatest Brisbane wingers in the history of the game. VOTE NOW.

WITH the Broncos set to unveil another monster winger in teenage sensation Xavier ‘The Freak’ Coates, chief rugby league writer Peter Badel rates Brisbane’s five greatest wingers.

Corey Oates has a knack for breaking through and finding the tryline. Picture: AAP Image/Dave Hunt

5. COREY OATES

MALIGNED for his consistency but there can be no questioning his courage on kick returns and freakish ability to find the tryline. At 192cm and 105kg, he is a physical weapon who makes the highlights reel on an annual basis with his circus-like aerial acrobatics to put the ball over the white stripe. Regularly charges for 150-plus metres and has amassed 92 tries in 142 NRL games for the Broncos. His status as the greatest tryscorer at Suncorp Stadium is a tribute to his potency on the flanks.

Willie Carne looks to burst through for the Maroons in 1993. Picture: Jim Fenwick

4. WILLIE CARNE

ONLY played seven seasons of first-grade but at his zenith was a Winfield Cup pin-up boy with his movie-star looks and on-field attacking brilliance. An Ipswich Grammar product, he was the club’s rookie of the year with Paul Hauff in 1990 and celebrated back-to-back premierships in 1992-93. During that golden two-year period, Carne crossed for 28 tries in 42 games, including the four-pointer that sank St George in Brisbane’s 1993 premiership upset. Aside from 72 tries in 134 games for the Broncos, Carne represented Australia and Queensland with distinction and was renowned for his quick feet and dangerous step.

Lote Tuqiri breaks away against the Penrith Panthers in 2001.

3. LOTE TUQIRI

PLAYED just four seasons for the Broncos before his shock big-money defection to rugby for the Wallabies 2003 World Cup campaign. But there was no doubting his impact at Red Hill. The Fijian-born flyer broke the mould of rugby league’s sleek and slippery winger of the 1980s, a tall, muscular presence who provided the Broncos with an extra forward with his brutal kick returns and tackle-busting brilliance. He scored 56 tries in 99 games for the Broncos, including a four-pointer in Brisbane’s 14-6 grand-final defeat of the Roosters in 2000. He still holds Brisbane’s record for most points in a match, a 26-point haul from three tries and seven goals in a 50-12 rout of the Northern Eagles in 2002.

Michael Hancock on the burst for the Broncos in 1998.

2. MICHAEL HANCOCK

DROVE NSW fans insane with his madcap antics as he desperately tried to kick his way off ruck defenders but his longevity, consistency and reliability was remarkable. Gave 13 seasons of magnificent service to the Broncos and remains the club’s most-capped winger with 274 premiership games. Never scored more than 15 tries in a single campaign but his career haul of 120 is a tribute to the powerful hard-running that terrorised defenders. A Broncos hall of famer, Hancock won a staggering five premierships.

Wendell Sailor leaves his Panthers opponent in his wake in 2000. Picture: David Kapernick

1. WENDELL SAILOR

ONE of a kind in every sense. Cocky, charming, classy and possessed a high-octane charisma that made him one of Australian sport’s high rollers. Off the field, he lit up City Rowers with his flashy feet and on it, he danced his way around opponents to become of rugby league’s true entertainers. Wayne Bennett wasn’t convinced about Sailor in his formative years but he proved the Broncos super coach wrong with 110 tries from 189 games at Red Hill. Between 1998-2001, Sailor was the best winger in the world, scoring 60 tries in four seasons. In his pomp, Sailor beat his first man every time with his speed and strength and played a key role in Brisbane’s three premiership wins in 1997, 1998 and 2000.