There is a lot of hype around the Brisbane Broncos side heading into the 2020 NRL season, however one player rarely mentioned that could be key for them this year is Corey Oates.

To the surprise of many, Oates recently re-signed with the Broncos for this year with options in his favour for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Many people thought that the money would be spent elsewhere, however Oates is definitely a commodity worth investing in.

The 25-year-old actually had a decent 2019, scoring 13 tries, making 13 line breaks, 67 tackle breaks and averaging 145.3 running metres per game.

Corey primed for first hit-out of 2020 – Broncos' team list to face the Titans:https://t.co/iLrkUy6hem pic.twitter.com/FZbWYM19xJ

— Brisbane Broncos (@brisbanebroncos) February 25, 2020

Oates would have likely improved on these stats if it weren’t for the mid season positional switch between Darius Boyd and Anthony Milford. When fullback Boyd took over the reigns of five-eighth, he was unable to get the ball out to Oates’ wing as prominently and effectively as Anthony Milford could. Now with Milford back in the halves and Brodie Croft joining the club, Oates will get his hands on the ball more often.

If Oates can maintain a similar, if not a better strike rate in an arguably stronger Broncos side than last year, he will re-announce himself as one of the best wingers in the world. He is already an established Origin player but Oates is still seeking an Australian Kangaroos call up which could be achieved this year if his return to form continues.