NRL 2019: Brisbane Broncos young gun Xavier Coates looks to secure a spot in 2020 starting line up

His teammates call him “Little Inglis”, and Papua New Guinea born winger Xavier Coates is coming along nicely at Red Hill as he looks to secure a starting Broncos spot.

THE Broncos have settled on their top 30 roster for 2020 and there are some lesser known names added to the list.

The Courier-Mail has picked five Red Hill recruits to profile who are gunning for a regular spot in the Broncos NRL team next year. Today we look at Xavier Coates.

Xavier Coates attempts to control the ball against the Sharks earlier in the year. Picture: AAP Image/Craig Golding

Xavier Coates, 18, shapes to be one of the Broncos up-and-coming stars.

At 194cm tall, the young Papua New Guinean is a try-scoring sensation and a flyer on the wing.

He made his debut for the Broncos in their historic 24-22 win over Cronulla at Shark Park in Round 16 this year and scored his first NRL try.

His stellar 2019 season saw him make his representative debut for the PNG Orchids and he also helped the Queensland Under-18s to a 34-12 win over New South Wales.

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Coates was born in Port Moresby before moving to the Gold Coast where he attended Marymount College.

He played rugby league through his junior years and was coached by Storm premiership winner Mark Geyer.

Brisbane quickly signed him on a development contract and he is now pushing for a regular first grade spot.

His Broncos teammates have even nicknamed him “Little Inglis” because he looks and plays in a similar fashion to QLD Maroons great Greg Inglis.

In his prime, Inglis stood at 198cm and weighed 106kg. Coates is 194cm and 100kg ... and still growing.

“I can’t wait for us to unleash the X ... he’s our X-factor,” Broncos back-rower Alex Glenn said earlier in the year.

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“When he first came to training, one day a week, he caught us off guard at how young he was and how big a frame he was.

“He has got speed, a fend and he has ‘hop’ (a big leap), some would say he is the whole package.”