Super Freak
International Captain
Forum Staff
- Jan 25, 2014
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ANTHONY Milford and Corey Oates have struck up one of the most dynamic combinations in the competition — and it is not hard to see why it is working so well.
The young Broncos duo first united on Brisbane’s left edge at the start of last season and, along with centre Jack Reed, they immediately clicked in attack.
This year. their combination is going to new levels, not just because of their own skill but also the respect they have for each other.
Milford and Oates lead Brisbane’s attack with eight tries apiece but it is the support they provide each other away from the field that helps them mesh so well.
That bond is the behind their celebration handshake, which starts off as a normal handshake after one of them scores and ends with the pair wiping their hands down the front of their jerseys.
It began when five-eighth Milford wanted to find a way to help Oates move on from his errors.
Milford says when the Broncos winger makes a mistake, he can sometimes be too hard on himself. One time after he dropped the ball, he told him to “dry his hands” on his jersey.
“Oatesy kind of takes his mistakes with him,” he said.
“It was my way to let him know to not worry about it and to get back into the game.
“Whatever happens, he just has to go again. We always need him for that next set, so it’s just gets him out of his (own) head.”
The pair both turn 22 later this year and have found great on-field maturity in working together.
Oates said despite being the same age as his fellow Brisbane star, he learns a lot from him every time they meet.
On `that’ handshake, Oates said: “I dropped the ball and he said ‘come here and we’ll dry your hands’. Then he said ‘that can be our handshake now’.
“I have just realised how good he actually is and how much he can change a game. He’s a funny bloke on the field and a funny bloke off the field.
“He’s a freakish player. When he’s on, you just have to be up with him and be expecting the ball because you don’t know what’s going to happen.
“I’m pretty honoured to be playing outside of him.”
For Milford, the combination with Oates and their centre Reed is only getting stronger.
He said this year they are reaping the benefits of Oates’s hard work in the pre-season and each game they are learning to trust each other more.
The biggest area he knows they have to work on is their defence, but once they learn to overcome their fatigue, everything will click for the already strong edge.
“Myself, Jack and Oatesy have been on that left side for a whole year now,” he said.
“Our big one is trusting each other inside and out in defence. There’s a lot of trust there and we just need to have it there for the whole 80 when we’re fatigued.
“(Oates) is in some good form and the tries he’s been scoring are pretty cool. It just comes down to him working hard.
“He’s had a big pre-season and he’s injury free which is good. The more games our left side play together, the better we get.”
No Cookies | The Courier Mail
The young Broncos duo first united on Brisbane’s left edge at the start of last season and, along with centre Jack Reed, they immediately clicked in attack.
This year. their combination is going to new levels, not just because of their own skill but also the respect they have for each other.
Milford and Oates lead Brisbane’s attack with eight tries apiece but it is the support they provide each other away from the field that helps them mesh so well.
That bond is the behind their celebration handshake, which starts off as a normal handshake after one of them scores and ends with the pair wiping their hands down the front of their jerseys.
It began when five-eighth Milford wanted to find a way to help Oates move on from his errors.
Milford says when the Broncos winger makes a mistake, he can sometimes be too hard on himself. One time after he dropped the ball, he told him to “dry his hands” on his jersey.
“Oatesy kind of takes his mistakes with him,” he said.
“It was my way to let him know to not worry about it and to get back into the game.
“Whatever happens, he just has to go again. We always need him for that next set, so it’s just gets him out of his (own) head.”
The pair both turn 22 later this year and have found great on-field maturity in working together.
Oates said despite being the same age as his fellow Brisbane star, he learns a lot from him every time they meet.
On `that’ handshake, Oates said: “I dropped the ball and he said ‘come here and we’ll dry your hands’. Then he said ‘that can be our handshake now’.
“I have just realised how good he actually is and how much he can change a game. He’s a funny bloke on the field and a funny bloke off the field.
“He’s a freakish player. When he’s on, you just have to be up with him and be expecting the ball because you don’t know what’s going to happen.
“I’m pretty honoured to be playing outside of him.”
For Milford, the combination with Oates and their centre Reed is only getting stronger.
He said this year they are reaping the benefits of Oates’s hard work in the pre-season and each game they are learning to trust each other more.
The biggest area he knows they have to work on is their defence, but once they learn to overcome their fatigue, everything will click for the already strong edge.
“Myself, Jack and Oatesy have been on that left side for a whole year now,” he said.
“Our big one is trusting each other inside and out in defence. There’s a lot of trust there and we just need to have it there for the whole 80 when we’re fatigued.
“(Oates) is in some good form and the tries he’s been scoring are pretty cool. It just comes down to him working hard.
“He’s had a big pre-season and he’s injury free which is good. The more games our left side play together, the better we get.”
No Cookies | The Courier Mail
