Melbourne Storm winger Xavier Coates has been ruled out for the season after snapping his Achilles at training on Friday, ending a comeback that had only just started to gather pace. The 25-year-old had resumed running and was close to rejoining the main squad before the injury stopped him again.
Coates had already spent three months on the sidelines after injuring the same Achilles in the pre-season, when surgery ruled him out and Melbourne set a target of round 10 for his return once State of Origin was off the table. His recovery was slower than expected, but he had been looking to integrate with the main group in the next week before the setback.
He said the problem happened almost in an instant. “I was running and it just popped,” Coates said, adding that he was “only running at about 50 per cent and it just went.” The winger is now set for another round of surgery after consulting a specialist, a step that confirms the latest injury is not a short interruption but another major reset.
The blow leaves Melbourne without one of its most damaging finishers and one of its best aerial threats. Coates scored 20 tries in 22 matches last season, and the Storm have already felt the absence of that edge in the air and on the try line. He attended Melbourne’s match against Newcastle at AAMI Park on Friday night wearing a moon-boot on his left leg and using a scooter to move around, a reminder of how quickly the picture changed.
For Melbourne, the timing is especially harsh because the club had only just been waiting for his return to become real. Instead, Billy Slater faces another wing puzzle as Xavier Coates return slips back again, and the unanswered question now is how long it will be before he can even start rebuilding from this surgery.
