Origin winger Xavier Coates has revealed his desires to become a Broncos player for life, with the pacey winger receiving plenty of interest from rival clubs ahead of his third season in the NRL.
Across his 15 games at Red Hill, Coates has shown plenty of poise and promise out wide while also earning an Origin debut in 2020 with the Maroons.
The 19-year-old has recently received interest from Queensland rivals North Queensland and Gold Coast while Melbourne Storm have kept a close eye on the flyer, so much so that Craig Bellamy has held talks with the Papua New Guinea-born neophyte.
Coates spoke on his dream to end his career with Brisbane while also playing a straight bat in regard to his discussions with Bellamy.
โIn an ideal world, I want to be a Bronco for life,โ Coates toldย The Courier Mail.
โItโs nice to know a club as great as Melbourne have interest in me, but to be honest, my No.1 priority is the Broncos.
Xavier Coates, take a bow.
What a finish! #Origin pic.twitter.com/nbqHPJgCFN
— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) November 11, 2020
RELATED:ย Brisbane Broncos 2021 Season Preview
โI was talking to Craig about what he was thinking and everything came out in the media. Someone took a photo of us and it all blew up, which I didnโt expect. It wasnโt anything major. I wanted to see what his plans were because, yes, Iโm off-contract.
โYou have to keep your options open, but my preference is to stay at the Broncos.
โIf Iโm being honest, I just want to be around my family. My main thought is I donโt want to leave this club. Iโm happy at the Broncos and โKevvieโ (Kevin Walters) has been really welcoming.
โI want to help turn this club around and whatever happens next year is down the track. My immediate focus is playing good football. But Iโm 100 per cent dedicated to the Broncos, so if Iโm happy here, I will stay.โ
Coates' first full season with the Broncos ended with the club claiming its maiden wooden spoon following a 3-17 record.
While it was a year to forget for the club, Coates was a shining light at Red Hill, scoring five tries from his 12 outings.
There have been 4 positives in this Brisbane season #NRL
- Kotoni Staggs is a star and should play origin for the Blues.
- Payne Haas is a monster and should play origin for the Blues (again).
- Tom Dearden will be a star and this is his club now.
- Xavier Coates is fast.— Mark Gottlieb (@MarkGottlieb) August 28, 2020
โLast year was so difficult,โ Coates added.
โWe started off well in the first two games and then we came back from COVID and fell apart.
โThere were issues with the coaching staff and the club just felt like it was collapsing in front of us."
Kevin Walters has looked to have an instant impact on the young Broncos side, with Coates and Kotoni Staggs just two of the rising stars the master coach is hoping lock down for the future.
While contract talks remain tabled, Coates has revealed there have been clear signs of improvement under Walters.
โWe have come back fresh and started with new staff. There has been a cleanout among the players, even with our attitudes.
โIt feels like a new club, there is a family feel and Kevvie is a family-orientated bloke. He is getting the camaraderie going again and bringing back past players to have chats with us.
โThere is a huge history of the club and Kevvie is teaching us when we put on that Broncos jersey, you represent the past, the present and all the people of Queensland.โ
The Broncos will kick-off their 2021 NRL campaign against Parramatta on Friday at Suncorp Stadium.
Regardless of the money offered by other clubs. Brisbane will keep the players that they wish to keep. Coates & Staggs wonโt be going anywhere.