NEWS Off-contract Oates faces uncertain future at Broncos

Brisbane veteran Corey Oates has not received a contract offer for next season from the club and says he will almost certainly finish his NRL career a one-club man.

The off-contract 29-year-old winger has played 211 NRL games with the Broncos and has inked one-year extensions late in seasons in the past, but at this stage the club has not opened talks for a new deal.

Oates was asked whether he would be a Bronco in 2025.

"Hopefully," he said.

"As I have said, probably the 20 times you have asked me, I will leave it up to the club.

"I have always made it pretty well known that I am not going to go anywhere. It is always either going to be here or that will be it. If there is something put forward, I will look at it with my family.

"I just want to enjoy the rest of the year and hopefully we can go all the way. I still feel like we can."

Oates is likely to retire if he does not get a new Broncos deal, although he is open to the possibility of a short deal elsewhere.

"It is probably not a definite no but it would be a pretty hard decision for me to leave the club I have been at since I was 14 or 15," he said.

"I have always wanted to be a one-club player and that was always going to be here."

Oates has scored 121 career tries and is third on the all-time Broncos list, just one behind Darren Lockyer.

The lanky winger arrived at the club in 2011, the same year Lockyer retired, before debuting in 2013.

"It is great company to be in," Oates said.

"Locky finished and I started. I found out I would be coming here to play and train as a kid and all I wanted to do was have a training session with my idol growing up.

"He retired the year I got here which was pretty hard to cop but to be up on that board with him is just as good.

"If I can equal or get past him it would be great but I have never been in it for all the accolades for myself.

"It is about playing the game I loved my whole life and being part of a club I grew up watching and supporting."

Oates conceded Steve Renouf's record of 142 tries was probably a bridge too far.

Oates missed training on Monday but said a knee niggle would not keep him out of Saturday night's home clash with St George Illawarra.

"It is just old age. It is actually all good," Oates said.

"It copped a bit of a knock and there was a bit of a flare-up.

"It was always the plan just to give it a rest and keep me ready for the bigger training sessions during the week."

The Broncos who have lost their last five games, only have 17 of their top 30 to pick from against the Dragons due to injury and State of Origin duty.

Oates said that statistic was "confronting" on one level but added the Broncos still had a "great team" and plenty of strike weapons with Deine Mariner, Kotoni Staggs and Ezra Mam in the side.

"For us it about completing, sticking to the game plan and working hard," Oates said.

Canberra Times

 

[Sproj]

What actually happened with Paix. He seemed to give up his sport in first grade willingly and has never been seen since. He looked like he was just starting to come good too. I would like to know more about what went down.

 

[Mustafur]

I still can't believe Oates isn't 30 yet lol.

 

[Lockysillegitimatechild]

If Oates is willing to take a 1 year minimum wage contract why the hell wouldn't you re-sign him? Who will go in his place? He's got experience, he doesn't need to be in the top 17, he is a club legend. Sure his best days are way behind him, but we don't need his best days, we just need a game or 2 a year, a good team mate, and some experienced passed on to younger players if he's on minimum wage. Just like tapau in my eyes.

If I had our salary cap under my control I'd be looking to off load paix, hethrington and staggs (last 2 not through choice really, more through what we actually need vs money in the bank) and tell baker he isnt part of future plans (won't get us any money though and will find hard to sell). Then I'd get a metre-eating winger (vunivalu?), a 2nd row with a 2nd option (eg kleese haas with prop option, euan aitken with centre option), then an experienced big bopper middle option.

Staggs is unreal and I hate that we would let him go but out metres from our back 5 are shithouse now with mariner and Walsh. We don't need to be Penrith there but ffs out middles need help, and hethrington is for that reason. He just loses all our momentum. I really like him and on a team full of big poppers he would, and has, thrive but you can't carry him with our bench options. We need 2 genuine props on the bench. He would get us some money and is too good to not be in a 17 somewhere in the nrl.

 

[Cavalo]

Keep him. Just not a starting winger. Leota should be nowhere near first grade. However, I think Hoeter would have been starting 17 the last 5 weeks if not for his injury.

 

[Jedhead]

I have serious doubts as to why we are persisting with Leota to be quite frank. From the game time I have watched of him he is next to hopeless. I have no wish to death ride the young guy, but I'm just not seeing why he has been contracted into our 30. I would love to see him flourish and prove me totally wrong, I really would. I very much doubt it though.

 

[Broncapz]

Sorry but Corey deserves another run. He's got the veterans bonus, he was in top form when his jaw got brroken. Had to come back with a knee issue.

I'm all for putting people out to pasture, but Oates deserves to be somewhere in the 30.

 

[Wolfie]

His contract isn't preventing him from taking a financial hit to move on ... he's choosing not to do it.

meanwhile, it's hurting his future NRL career IMO. he should back himself and move on to a club where he may have a chance at first grade. his contract may be big for a 4th string (in their position) reserve grader, but not for an NRL hooker.

Given the size of his contract, i'm not sure us chipping in is even worthwhile to us. IIRC, he is on about $300k a year. say we cover half of it, and we free up $150k, and we would still need to fill his spot with another minimum wage player, so in reality we don't save anything by paying some of his contract to move him on.

I wouldn't choose to take a financial hit either.

 

[BroncsFan]

I wouldn't choose to take a financial hit either.

What could be considered is Paix finds a new home, we pay some freight, and whatever is leftover goes to Oates.

If Oates isnt looking for a big contract then potentially whatever we save on the 4th hooker (including the roster spot) is spent on a winger/back rower whose value and worth is known to the team.

 

[Renegade]

I'm stuck between giving him a one year deal on reduced terms (not much above min wage) or biting the bullet and saying thanks for everything but we're looking to the future. I don't think we necessarily need great depth on the wing - pull any decent performing winger from Q Cup and tell them they're playing for a spot in the 30.

 

[Foordy]

I wouldn't choose to take a financial hit either.

I suppose that depends on if you back yourself to get a better deal elsewhere.

It's not uncommon for players to leave a club and take a financial hit to get a better opportunity elsewhere, backing themselves to get a bigger deal next time out.

Maybe Paix doubts his ability to prove himself and get that better deal, so has decided to stay and get the money he is on now... Which is of course his right

 

[Big Del]

he was in top form when his jaw got brroken.

Yep that whole 1st game of the season .
Arthars surpassed him .

Thanks Corey , you were a good wagon , but you done broke down .

 

[Ondi]

I'd rather clear out other players to be honest. Oates may not be the player he was but he brings experience. Whenever I've taken my son to watch them train Corey is always talking and pushing the youngsters and I would say is an important cog behind the scenes. With such a young squad I think it's vital to keep some true broncos around (that's not a sledge on any other player that's just how I regard him).

 

[Sproj]

I just don't understand why you would want to throw him on a scrap heap, he's always been loyal to us and isn't asking for a huge contract. This kind of loyalty can go a long way for building a culture of taking unders. You aren't getting someone better than him on minimum wage.

 

[Wolfie]

I'm stuck between giving him a one year deal on reduced terms (not much above min wage) or biting the bullet and saying thanks for everything but we're looking to the future. I don't think we necessarily need great depth on the wing - pull any decent performing winger from Q Cup and tell them they're playing for a spot in the 30.

I don't think that's the case with cup wingers. Ruben was a try scoring machine at that level yet made very little impact in the NRL.

We still need experience, and Oates doesn't have to be kept on purely as a backup winger either.

 

[FACTHUNT]

I think that him mentioning that 'he will likely retire' is him planting the seed for a high paid relationship management/ partnerships/ corporate job with the club. He's too loved by all (and rightly so) to go anywhere else, and he would be quite successful in a front office capacity tbh.

 

[Renegade]

I don't think that's the case with cup wingers. Ruben was a try scoring machine at that level yet made very little impact in the NRL.

We still need experience, and Oates doesn't have to be kept on purely as a backup winger either.

Oates isn't making much of an impact anymore and he's costing 3x the price. This is the squad management stuff that we laud other clubs for, knowing when outlay is no longer returning similar value.

 

[Sproj]

Oates isn't making much of an impact anymore and he's costing 3x the price. This is the squad management stuff that we laud other clubs for, knowing when outlay is no longer returning similar value.

3x the price of what? He wouldn't be on a huge amount and most of that is probably taken up by the veteran's allowance.

 

[Renegade]

3x the price of what? He wouldn't be on a huge amount and most of that is probably taken up by the veteran's allowance.

From memory last contract he signed was for 300-350k. comparative to min wage (which I think is 110, or at least was).

Isn't the veteran allowance across the entire club, not just one player? Mind you given our turnover we probably don't really have a lot of players that qualify for it so he might be getting a decent chunk of it.