Corey Oates discusses his friendship with Kevin Walters following the NRL recall.
Brisbane Broncos winger Corey Oates has moved to dispel allegations of a breach between himself and coach Kevin Walters. The rumours began after Oates was left out of the Broncos’ starting lineup for the first few weeks of the season, and he also failed to appear in the Queensland Cup. According to News Corp, several speculated that Oates declined to play reserve grade after being bypassed for Deine Mariner.
Walters chose the youthful gun on one wing and Jesse Arthars, who had a tremendously successful 2023, for the other, with Selwyn Cobbo moving into the centres following Herbie Farnworth’s off-season move to the Dolphins. Oates was recalled on Friday evening to play in Brisbane’s win over the North Queensland Cowboys, coming off the bench and playing in the second row, a position he is familiar with from earlier in his career.
After scoring a try in the game, Oates told the publication that he hadn’t played reserve grade because he was nursing a knee condition, with Walters encouraging him to relax and train instead of preparing for the QLD Cup.
“I spoke to ‘Kevvie’ about it all and he thought the same,” Oates enthused. “He urged me to care for my body and stated, ‘I’m not going to force you to play. I know you can train and prepare. He advised me to get everything perfect, get the body feeling nice, and we’d take it from there. “It wasn’t because of the Q Cup. It’s the way the cycle works. I’ve been playing for a long time, and things have to change at some point. “When you get possibilities as a young child, you have to take them. It’s just awful timing for me right now. I’ve got to take after myself, and when the time comes, maybe I’ll be ready to play and do
“I did a couple of weeks of rehab, took care of it, and got a chance to be on the team.” Hopefully, I can continue to obtain these opportunities.” Now a veteran, Oates, 29, has 202 NRL games under his belt and will try to improve to that total during the 2024 season, but he will most likely have to play out of position. Brisbane have a second-row shortfall after losing Kurt Capewell to the New Zealand Warriors during the off-season, with Brendan Piakura and Jordan Riki receiving little assistance from the squad.
Jaiyden Hunt, who joined the Broncos from the St George Illawarra Dragons in the off-season, has developed into an edge forward and spent time there on Friday in the Broncos’ win over North Queensland after starting the game, while Patrick Carrigan and Xavier Willison have also played on the edge. Oates could play a larger role there in the coming weeks, with his running game being regarded as a significant weapon for the Broncos, averaging 184 metres per contest in nine games last year despite failing to cross the tryline.
That has been a theme throughout Oates’ career, with the 2020 season marking the last time he averaged less than 150 metres per game. As Piakura recovers from injury, Oates will most likely remain in the Broncos’ lineup next weekend.