With Origin fast approaching and having profiled their NSW counterparts last week, we thought we would take a look at which Queensland stars from 2018 are in danger of losing their Origin jersey.
4. Corey Oates
After re-signing with the Broncos on a one-year deal, Corey Oates will be hoping to add to his five Origin appearances in season 2019.
While he has made a solid start to 2019 in terms of his base statistics with six tries in as many appearances as well as averaging an impressive 155 running metres per game, if you dig a bit below the surface, Oates, much like his fellow Broncos teammates, has some teething problems with his game.
Oates has missed 10 of 29 tackles on his wing, as well as having made 13 errors in the opening six rounds, the second most in the competition. While his ball running prowess and try scoring ability is undeniable, these aforementioned errors and inconsistencies are clearly an area of concern for Maroons coach Kevin Walters after omitting Oates from his teams for Origin I and II.
However, following the departure of Valentine Holmes to the NFL, if Oates can minimise his errors and maintain his try scoring and running output, he will be in the pole position to retain the coveted Maroons jersey that he regained for Origin III.
