Melbourne suffered a scare on Thursday when representative winger Xavier Coates left training on the back of a medicab after suffering an ankle injury.
This masthead obtained video footage of the Kangaroos’ flyer being driven from the field with his right ankle heavily iced.
Storm officials confirmed on Thursday Coates had an ankle issue, and while he would play no part in the trials, he was expected to play in the first round against Parramatta on March 9.
The use of a medicab, said a club official not authorised to speak publicly, was more to assist with the long trek from the training field to Storm headquarters than being a reflection of the severity of the injury.
Coates scored the try of the year last season against the New Zealand Warriors and was rewarded for his year with selection in Mal Meninga’s Australian team.
Should he not be right for round one, Coates has plenty of teammates capable of slotting onto the wing, including Grant Anderson, Dean Ieremia, or even Sua Fa’alogo, whose No. 14 role is expected to be filled by Tyran Wishart.
Xavier Coates comes from the field on Thursday.Credit: Olivia Warren
The only player unavailable for the Eels clash at AAMI Park is suspended prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
The Storm lost the grand final to Penrith, but one person who believes they can go one better this year is league Immortal Andrew Johns.
Johns said the addition of prop Stefano Utoikamanu from the Wests Tigers would make a big difference.
Air Coates: Xavier Coates and his epic round-two try against the Warriors.Credit: Getty Images
“I think the Storm win this year, and had Nelson played in last year’s grand final, they win [in 2024],” said Johns, when asked which team he expected to be premiers.
“They have the best spine in the comp – Harry Grant, Cam Munster, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Jahrome Hughes – and if they’re at full strength at the end of this year, I can’t see anyone beating them.
“They will also have the one-two punch with Stefano and Nelson. Look at Glenn Lazarus and what he did when he went from Canberra to Brisbane. He helped turn them around. Front-rowers are so important.
“The Storm say it takes players two off-seasons to get up to speed [with their systems], so Stefano might even need this year, he will still kill it this year, then next year is the time he explodes.”
Papenhuyzen is among the fittest at the club after enjoying an injury-free pre-season.
“I love Melbourne, I feel at home in Melbourne, and we have a really good group doing good things together,” Papenhuyzen said.
“There will be challenges, but they only make you stronger. We’ve just gone through one of those experiences last year [with the grand final loss], but the longer I can stay with this group – and the longer we can keep this group the same – hopefully things come off the back of it.”