The Melbourne Storm have indicated that Xavier Coates is expected to be sidelined for another month due to his Achilles injury.
While there were initial hopes that Coates might be nearing a return, the talented winger is only now beginning to participate in full running. Melbourne Storm's director of football has confirmed that he could be back on the field within a month.
"Xavier is just about to start full running, which is a great sign. That will include some individual running until he puts enough miles into his legs to return to team training. After a couple of weeks (training) with the team, we're hoping he'll be back playing within the month, which will be a great boost for everyone," Ponissi mentioned during a medical update from the club.
The absence of Coates has significantly impacted the Storm, contributing to a challenging six-week losing streak.
He is set to miss upcoming matches against the Dolphins, Wests Tigers, and Parramatta Eels, with a potential return in Round 12 against the Canterbury Bulldogs.
With the Origin teams being finalized before his return, Queensland will likely be searching for a replacement winger.
In other news, the Storm announced that Tui Kamikamica has begun limited training but does not have a designated return date.
"Tui has started a small amount of training. He had a minor procedure (last week) which was successful, and he's now recovering and resuming his rehab training (at the Club). There's no set date for Tui's return; we'll just monitor his rehab, but we're hopeful he'll play again in 2026," Ponissi added.
Additionally, the Storm reported that Jahrome Hughes is expected to miss just one match due to no damage to his wrist, and Marion Seve should be back within the next two months.