Brisbane young gun Corey Oates repays leap of faith taken by Broncos coach Anthony Griffin Corey Oates scores a try for the Broncos. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images Source: Getty Images COREY Oates is the brightest prospect to come from Brisbanes dark season, but the teenagers stunning NRL performances would come as no surprise to Broncos coach Anthony Griffin. Griffin had the foresight to sign Oates on a three-year NRL deal after just four games in the under-20s last year, recognising the breathtaking ability of the 192cm back rower from Baralaba. The 18-year-old has now played seven NRL games on the wing and scored five tries to deliver perhaps the most promising first season at the club since Karmichael Hunt starred as a 17-year-old fullback in 2004. Oates capped his meteoric rise on Tuesday when he was named in the under-20s team of the year and must surely be a contender to join Broncos halfback Ben Hunt who was named the 20s player of the year in 2008. "It was a big shock," Oates said. I never saw it coming to be honest with you. I didn't even think about it and it was the last thing on my mind. Oates is still coming to grips with his elevation to the NRL side and the fact he is now a regular starter at the Broncos. But as gobsmacked as Oates might be with his NRL selection or the fact at the highest level he has scored "some of the easier tries I've scored in my career," nothing had been more of a shock than the day Griffin upgraded him to the club's top 25. Oates had barely settled into the 20s competition when he got the call that Griffin wanted him to sign a new deal that would keep him at the club until the end of 2015. "That was probably the biggest shock last year, I had only played three or four games in the 20s and that (under 20s) Origin game and the club came to me with another offer," Oates said. That sort of just shocked me and my family with what they wanted and how long they wanted me for. There is no doubt that by the end of his contract Oates will not be playing on the wing. At 106kg he is already big enough to mix it with the forwards, but he still needs a couple of tough preseasons to be ready to rumble in the middle. Broncos skipper Sam Thaiday is excited by what Oates can offer the Broncos once they knock him into line and into shape. "He is slowly getting there, we've still got to knock that bit of cheekiness out of him," skipper Sam Thaiday said. They seem to get bigger and bigger as they come through the ranks and I don't think he has finished growing either. He hasn't had a couple of pre-seasons with us yet, once he gets in the gym and we get Dan Baker to get his hands on him and develop him a little bit more in the gym I'm sure he will be mentally tougher, fitter and stronger. He has got a long way to go still but I'm sure he will get there . . . and he will be a great player and I'm sure he will be at the club for many more years to come. The Broncos received a timely boost for Friday's game with Kiwi Test forward Alex Glenn to return from injury in the centres to face Newcastle. Brisbane might be 13th on the ladder, but two home wins against the Knights and Canterbury may yet allow them to sneak into the finals.