My logic is, Oates was on $500-600k. I’d let him leave before herbie and Herbie can go to that wing if need be. Isaako was also on $450k+ I believe. So surely they can balance it out to get it to work.
I think even cutting Oateys wage but keeping him, I think Oates himself would admit he's not his former self and pricetag.
If he was a fullback he would be racking up 200m+ he would be up in the top tier in that department, even at centre I believe his metres are above average for a centre.
Too much too soon. Prime Corey Oates was 500k. He’s not prime Corey Oates. 300 for another yr.
If we need to cut wages, Oates is a good start, do a Melbourne and find a budget winger and bench player or two to balance the cap every year.
Oates is the last man standing from the 2015 Grand Final. He's a shadow of his former self, and been through the wringer since, partly through his own doing and partly through a spate of mishaps. His candour about bludging and his farcical posturing about wanting to shift to the forwards haven't sat well with fans, or the coaching staff.
But never mind all that, I think this is a situation that requires gauging the temperature of the playing group. Cutting the most senior Bronco sends a signal about the club's loyalty to its own, a sign of what's to come for them. But on the other hand, coddling a bludger in favour of someone more promising also sends a bad message.
Whether it's Oates, Farnworth, Cobbo or Niu, outside backs need to keep the scoreboard ticking. They get dropped for missing tackles and fumbling bombs, but they get paid the big money for channeling the ball over the line, whether it's scoring tries or setting them up. That's where the money lies. It's why Kotoni gets the money. Not for his defence.
If Farnworth wants a massive contract upgrade come round 4, this weekend against Valentine Holmes is the round to show his relative worth. He needs to outpoint Valentine.
Corey, meanwhile, only needs to hold his position. But competition is fierce not least of all from Herbie, should the club be inclined to give Brenko, or inevitably Deine, a shot. Corey needs to score tries. And lots of them. Simple as that. We love Corey when he's scoring tries.