Melbourne Storm winger Xavier Coates is still a few weeks away from returning to playing, pushing him out of contention for Queensland’s State of Origin series opener and leaving Billy Slater with another selection headache on the wing.
The Storm said on Thursday that Coates, who had Achilles surgery in February, is running well but is not ready for full training. The club hopes he will integrate into team training over the next two weeks, but that timeline leaves him short of the May 27 Origin 1 clash. Coates has played 13 Origin games for Queensland, and he had still been hoped to be available for the opener before his return window was delayed again earlier this month.
The latest guidance from the Storm and the NRL website sharpens the picture further. The competition site has Coates listed with a potential return in Round 14, a date that officially rules him out of Origin 1 for Queensland. Melbourne had first said he would not be ready until Round 10 at the earliest, before that estimate was pushed back. Now the club’s own language leaves no room for optimism about an immediate comeback.
That matters because Coates has been a mainstay in Slater’s Queensland side, and the absence of one of his most reliable outside backs adds to a backline puzzle that is already moving pieces around. Valentine Holmes is out of form for the Dragons, while Murray Taulagi was not named by the Cowboys for Round 11 because of concussion and had not played in three weeks. The Cowboys have already said Taulagi will not play in Round 12, which comes three days before Origin 1, and he will also miss this weekend’s final round before the teams are picked.
With Coates delayed and Taulagi unavailable, Slater may have to reshuffle again. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow could move to the wing with Robert Toia and Gehamat Shibasaki in the centres, while Selwyn Cobbo and Jojo Fifita are also pushing for a wing spot. Fifita said making the Queensland team would be the biggest achievement of his career, adding that if he got the call, he would be ready and would do everything he could to be at the top of his game.
Slater also has a different problem to solve after Tom Dearden was ruled out, forcing a call on who starts at halfback. Sam Walker and Daly Cherry-Evans appear to be the front-runners, though some believe Kalyn Ponga could shift into the halves. For Queensland, the next few days are not just about filling spots. They are about deciding whether the team keeps its shape or starts Origin 1 with a spine and wings built on compromises.
