‘Wasn’t up to scratch’: Roosters on notice as Storm looks to bounce back from costly loss in star’s milestone match

Xavier Coates has produced some remarkable moments in his first 99 games, but he’s just hoping for a win in his milestone match.

Milestone man Xavier Coates will play his 100th NRL game on Thursday night, but the human highlights reel isn’t ready to celebrate after a Storm performance that “wasn’t up to scratch” and could cost them a crucial top-two finish.

Coates suffered his first loss at AAMI Park since 2022 when the Storm were upset by Manly thanks to a late penalty goal despite him scoring three tries.

It sets up a cracking contest with Roosters winger Mark Nawaqanitawase, who is level with him on 13 tries and has already wrapped up try of the year after Coates won it last year.

Scoring tries isn’t the Storm star’s main focus after his side completed just 71 per cent of their sets and conceded two costly penalties to drop to third spot ahead of a tricky trip to Sydney.

Xavier Coates says Storm players aren’t happy with how they went against Manly last week. Picture: Graham Denholm/Getty Images

“We’ve had some really tough conversations over the last few days in the review of the game, and our discipline wasn’t up to scratch,” he said.

“We weren’t completing like we usually do, and it was an off game for all of us boys, but we’re looking to bounce back on Thursday and we know we’re coming up against another quality opposition in the Roosters, so we’ve got to be on our ‘A’ game.

“Our performance wasn’t up to scratch on Saturday night and it’s not the style of footy that we want to play.

“We’re fixing it up during this training week and making sure we’re nailing basics first and foremost and not trying to play flashy footy.”

Dolphins flyer Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow is the only player who has scored more tries than the aerial acrobat this season, but a win is all he wants after a mixed night against Manly.

It's a bird... It's a plane... It's Xavier Coates! 🦸‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/o1XYa1kutT

— NRL (@NRL) July 19, 2025

“All that stuff is nice and all, but there are a lot of things that I want to fix up in my game,” he said.

“There were a lot of things that I feel I didn’t do well on Saturday night, so I know this week I want to fix them up, and hopefully I come out on Thursday and fix that all up.”

Coates has taken a lot of confidence out of Queensland’s State of Origin win and is feeling good after dealing with hamstring issues in the past.

He’s playing his most consistent footy in his fourth season at the club after he made his debut with the Broncos, with Coates scoring 72 tries heading into his 100th appearance.

“It’s a bit of a weird feeling. It’s gone pretty quickly and I still feel like an 18-year-old,” he said.

“I’m 24 now and will have 100 games under my belt, so it’s a surreal feeling. It’s a massive achievement to do it here at the Melbourne Storm which is such a great club that have done so much for me.

“My teacher and mentor back on the Gold Coast for junior footy was Matty Geyer, who played here at the Melbourne Storm and is a club legend.

“He’s done so much for the game and so much for the club. He used to speak about how great of a club it is, and I always thought what it would be like to play there.

“Now that I’m in the position I’m in, it’s a surreal feeling and I’m really excited to go out on Thursday and do my job to hopefully get the win.”

Originally published as ‘Wasn’t up to scratch’: Roosters on notice as Storm looks to bounce back from costly loss in star’s milestone match