He may be Bronco’s next Sailor
HE is called “The Freak”, and Broncos teenager Xavier Coates is about to terrorise the NRL after undergoing a bulkup regimen that has him as muscular as Brisbane wing great Wendell Sailor.
The 18-year-old will today be named in Brisbane’s squad for the NRL Nines tournament as a prelude to coach Anthony Seibold unleashing Coates for the sides’ premiership opener against the Cowboys.
Brisbane backline giants Sailor and Lote Tuqiri gave the Broncos premiership-winning thrust in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and now Seibold possesses another 100kg-plus wing alliance in Coates and Corey Oates.
For the past four months, the Broncos have tailored a specific gym program to prepare Coates for the physicality of the NRL.
The 194cm Coates has added 5kg of muscle over summer to tip the scales at 102kg – the same size as Sailor and Tuqiri when they powered the Broncos to premiership glory.
Seibold confirmed he is in contention for the wing spot vacated by Jamayne Isaako’s shift to fullback.
“I’m giving Xavier an opportunity to play NRL this year,” Seibold said.
“There’s no guarantees for anyone but I’d like to see him, Herbie Farnworth and Corey Oates fighting it out for those wing spots.
“Xavier has had a very good pre-season so it’s now up to him. He is a real talent. It will be great to see a guy like Xavier at the NRL Nines.
“It will be exciting for our fans to see the young talent we are bringing through.”
A former triple jump, high jump and long jump champion as a 15-year-old, Coates has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the NRL in the past 12 months.