With their young guns sparking an NRL season resurgence, Corey Oates says it’s time for Brisbane’s veterans to get the job done in Sunday’s elimination final against Parramatta.
Teenage forwards David Fifita and Payne Haas have been standouts as the Broncos turned around a horror 2-6 season start to finish the year with six wins plus a draw from their final 10 games to scrape into the finals in eighth spot.
While Oates admitted the 19-year-old duo had been inspirational, the 141-game winger believes Brisbane’s finals experience is the key against the Eels at a hostile Bankwest Stadium and has demanded their old guard step up.
Apart from Oates, Brisbane boasts a veteran brigade of captain and five-eighth Darius Boyd (316 games), centre Alex Glenn (258), hooker Andrew McCullough (257), back-rower Matt Gillett (199) and fullback Anthony Milford (166).
“The experienced players have to lead by example and by their actions,” said Oates, who has played 10 finals games.
“We have been in the finals and been in the big games. We know what it is like and what the aggression and speed is going to be like.
“So we have to lead and try and get the young fellas to come with us.
“We have to start well and show the young boys what it is all about, and how much it really means.”
Oates said he hoped to play his part and lead by example against the fifth-placed Eels in the sudden-death clash where five Broncos will be making their finals debut – Haas, Jake Turpin, Pat Carrigan, Tom Flegler and Gehamat Shibasaki.
Fifita and centre Kotoni Staggs – another standout in Brisbane’s season turnaround – will only be playing in their second finals clash.
“For myself I just have to do my job, run hard, run with aggression, try and get our sets going and make sure there’s plenty of talk with the edges,” Oates said.
“You can’t win games without talking to each other and communicating.
“I just have to back myself if I am going to be taking any part in having a big game on Sunday.”
Oates claimed Brisbane had been written off ahead of the finals after their shock last round 30-14 loss to Canterbury.
But the lanky winger believed the Eels clash was a chance for Brisbane to show their true colours.
“We want to be known as a team that can play well each week and be tough to beat,” he said.
“I don’t think we have been that enough this year, not consistent enough anyway.
“But it’s finals, it’s a different ball game. It’s what you play the whole season for, to try and get a chance to go all the way.
“We have given ourselves a chance now, we have just got to take it.”
