It was the last ride for several of the rosters attending last week’s DFRAG Invitational. Of the lot, ex-TALON’s Corey “nettik” Browne isn’t simply switching domestically or taking time off the game; he’s received the call from top dogs FlyQuest and joins the roster in person this week.
Nettik’s rise to OCE’s premier squad has come at great speed, imprinting his name into the region via two separate stints with Rooster over the past five years. The 21-year-old has made several appearances at tier one events like ESL Pro League and IEM Katowice—all the while conducting his business humbly and efficiently.
But, as he said to DFRAG, his humility doesn’t come at a cost of self-belief. He knows he’s earned his stripes and he can’t wait to flex his abilities on the world stage.
“Obviously FlyQuest is a bit of a step up, but I'm only getting better and better every month,” nettik said. “So I'll just see where it takes me, I'll just keep evolving.”
“There really isn’t much pressure on my end. I mean, I just believe in myself, like I know it's going to go well. I just need to put in the work.”
Nettik’s acquisition came very quickly after TALON’s exit from OCE CS, explaining the move to FlyQuest was sealed within the fortnight. “I wouldn't say it was really like a goal to join FlyQuest but it was also kind of a matter of time because my other rosters didn't work out right.”
Between the move to FlyQuest and limited officials with ex-TALON, his old squad’s preparation for the DFRAG Invitational was disrupted. But, as nettik says, he and the boys headed to Brisbane with relaxed moods and with one goal in mind: to have fun.
“We were mostly just calling things on the fly and just reacting off how we feel,” he said. “It's been very relaxed. We're just having fun going game by game.”
"Game-by-game" still got them to the DFRAG Invitational grand final, and while it was SemperFi who came out ahead, the experience and fun the ex-TALON squad felt back on LAN was in stark contrast to the last few months.
It was a tumultuous exit from TALON, with nettik and the squad bouncing between Europe and Australia whilst trying to work around their two “European” players in AZR and mhL, before a communication breakdown spoiled the team’s hopes of attending the MESA Asian Masters in March.
Nettik says the VRS system’s introduction also played its part, which was the chief reason why TALON withdrew. “The VRS did kind of f**k us because we couldn't end up playing events like the CCTs or get invites to any of the online stuff in Europe,” nettik said.
“I just don't think we had the right five players. The org wasn't happy making roster moves fast enough, and then it all just kind of collapsed really fast.
“It kind of ruined the whole idea of going [to Malta/EU] and playing as much as possible. The boot camps were still really good, but we didn't end up playing many officials at all.”
Meet the newest addition to our roster, @nettiknz 🇳🇿#TimeToFly pic.twitter.com/Hr5HZqNovb
— FlyQuest CS (@FlyQuestCS) March 15, 2025
On the topic of travel—something nettik will be doing plenty of with FlyQuest—the Kiwi rifler is ready for life on the road. “I think I'm kind of used to [constant travel] by now. We did a lot of traveling with TALON so it should just be the same kind of intensity that I’ve experienced.”
After that? Settling in and getting some reps on the server is all nettik has in mind in the interim. He’s yet to do much with the team outside of a little theory and admits there’s some catching up to do, but he’s facing the challenge head-on and is eager to show off.
“I’m looking forward to learning and improving, getting all the international experience, and meeting the guys because I haven't played with them yet,” nettik said. “We've just done some theory so far, so it will be really exciting.”
Nettik won’t have long to prepare. He and FlyQuest next suit up for the all-important Austin Major MRQ in mid-April before they attempt to make the playoffs stage of home event IEM Melbourne.
