Broncos ace Oates gutted to miss Dolphins NRL showdown

Powerhouse Brisbane winger Corey Oates admits he is gutted about missing Friday night’s first NRL clash with the Dolphins but insists he bears no grudge against Cowboy Scott Drinkwater whose high shot has kept him from being part of history at Suncorp Stadium.

Oates is sporting two titanium plates in his jaw as a result of Drinkwater’s tackle and will not only miss Friday’s 50,000 sell-out but also another four or five games, leaving him only a few matches to convince Queensland selectors to stick with him for the opening State of Origin game at Adelaide Oval on May 31.

“Fortunately it was a clean hit; it didn’t knock me out or anything,” Oates told Bettingsite.com.au in an exclusive interview.

“He (Drinkwater) is only a little man, he didn’t jump up and throw everything at me, he just braced for the collision.

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“I had a good laugh with him about it and said to him: ‘at least you found a way to take me out of the game’,” laughed Oates.

“I’ve got no bad feelings towards him. He is a nice fellow and a really, really good player in our game.

“Our sport is high collision and high contact, things happen.”

Oates however said he was “gutted” to be missing the blockbuster clash.

“It’s the biggest game of the whole NRL season, I’m gutted I won’t be playing.”

“I was looking forward to this game the most. A lot of players marked it on their calendars. It’s a pretty tough one to miss, to be honest. I’m pretty pissed off about it.”

Oates tried to spoil to media hype by pointing out that the clash, dubbed the “Battle of Brisbane” was not two Brisbane-based teams.

“It’s two teams from different Councils, the Dolphins representing Moreton Bay and the Broncos from Brisbane.”

Having said that, he concedes the arrival of the Dolphins is great for rugby league in the area.

“There are a lot of people in Southeast Queensland who don’t support the Broncos and the reality is they have another team to support now,” he said.

“It’s going to even things out. The crowds we get will be huge for a long, long time as the rivalry grows into the best in the NRL.

“The crowds, the history, and what it is going to bring to rugby league in Queensland is going to be something very special.”

Oates said he wasn’t surprised the Dolphins were playing so well with coaches like Wayne Bennett and Kristian Woolf at the helm of the foundation club.”

“People were asking me in Brisbane how I thought the Dolphins would go, would they finish last?

“I told them I thought they’d finish middle of the competition because they had one of the best forward packs and some good defensive and exciting attacking backs.

“They’ve got a halfback who has learned his trade from the best in the game.”

Equally, he wasn’t surprised by Brisbane’s impressive 3-0 start to 2023 coming off an excellent pre-season.

“I was really surprised how much underdogs we were in the first few rounds.

“A lot of people had doubts but I’ve never been more confident going into a season because everyone has bought into Kevvie (coach Kevin Walters) plan.

“There’s no way we want to choke like we did last season after putting ourselves in such a good position before the finals.

“We’ve only played three games but I am honestly not surprised to see us on top of the ladder.

Oates, who should burst through the 200-game barrier for one club later this year, will be doing his best to get back on the field and secure his 10th Origin jumper.

“I’ll make sure I am ready to rip in when I get back.

“It’s the way I love to play the game.”

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