Bellamy praises Coates’ attitude

MELBOURNE coach Craig Bellamy hailed the attitude of Papua New Guinea international and Storm winger Xavier Coates following Monday’s 70-10 National Rugby League flogging of the New Zealand Warriors.
The hosts put on an attacking clinic with the former Brisbane Bronco a standout in the round-seven Anzac Day clash, scoring an impressive four tries.
Coates’ haul included a hat-trick in eight minutes and 200 run metres.
The 21-year-old was brought in for 2022 to fill the void left by Josh Addo-Carr, and he has well and truly met – and arguably exceeded – the expectations put in place for him. Bellamy was full of praise for Coates after the game.
“He has been tremendous,” Bellamy said on Monday.
“I had given him a rap after pre-season … he really put in a big (effort).
“I think the last couple of weeks, he has probably been a little bit down in confidence.
“Our right side hasn’t been at their best defensively, just with their cohesion … he got a little bit down about that.
“But the one thing about Xavier – whatever he does, he does flat out.
“And that’s what we love about him.
“He went flat out a few times tonight and that’s why he got a couple of those tries. We love having him in our side and he’s a really valuable member of our team now.”
Coates scored 11 tries in 17 appearances for the Broncos last season and has already scored seven tries in seven games for his new club this year.
His four-try haul was the first of his career. – sportingnews