In this series, we'll be delving into the statistics of two different players in the NRL competition, analysing the duo, and asking the tough question - who would you rather have?
Today, we'll be analysing rival wingers, Brisbane's left flank Corey Oates, and the Cowboys' superstar right edge Kyle Feldt.
The two have faced off multiple times, and with the Broncos-Cowboys rivalry as strong as ever, both have had their fair share of bragging rights since the duo debuted in 2013.
Oates has collected more rep jerseys throughout his career with eight appearances for the Maroons, and while Feldt is yet to enter the State of Origin arena, he did win the International Nines World Cup with the Kangaroos last November.
Feldt undoubtedly has the greater career moment, with the famous 2015 Grand Final equalling try after the siren, with Oates outstretched on the ground trying to ankle tap the Cowboys' speedster.
Both are big bodied outside backs that make metres and take the hard carries coming out of trouble, can sniff out a try, and what Kyle Feldt has in his towering kick offs, Oates has in his defensive reads and intercepts.
Let's see how the stats read.
Corey Oates
Age: 25
NRL games: 144
NRL tries: 92
Strike rate: 0.64 tries per game
2019 metres: 3,195m (145.3m per game)
Rep honours: 8 x appearances for Queensland.
Premierships: 0
Pro: Oates is like another forward. In fact, for a long period, he wanted to be a forward. His put downs for a big man are incredible, and making 145 metres a game is incredible stats. With the club carrying a majority of inexperienced forwards with less than 100 games to their name, those carries are invaluable.
Con: He does have the odd error in him, specifically when it comes to catching kicks along the turf. Simply just harder for a man of his height to comfortably drop that low that fast.
Kyle Feldt
Age: 28
NRL games: 116
NRL tries: 74
Strike rate: 0.64 tries per game
2019 metres: 2,219m (138.7m per game)
Rep honours: 1 x International Nines trophy.
Premierships: 1
Pro: Those kick offs are freaky. He's really studied Pat Richards placed kicks, and when the ball starts spiralling mid air, it's anyone's guess on whether it'll be caught or not. While everyone remembers that Grand Final try, it was his golden point kick off that saw Ben Hunt drop the ball.
Con: Feldt doesn't miss many tackles, averaging less than one miss per game in 2019, however his up-and-in defence can see the flyer rush in too quick at times and leave space for opposition wingers to break the line or go for the acrobatic put down.
Verdict
A big factor in this is age, with Feldt having three years on Oates. Incredibly they have basically the exact same try per game tallies (0.64), and have amazing put downs in their skillset.
Oates has a few slight handling errors from time to time, and when you bring into account not only Feldt's kick offs/goalkicking but also his AFL-specky-like catches, Feldt just has that knack of turning a slight chance into a real scoring opportunity. It's right down to the wire, but Kyle Feldt simply has more in his arsenal. Kyle Feldt.
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