Craig Bellamy described star recruit Xavier Coates as the most impressive player he could recall in Melbourne's famed coffee test, but it was the veteran coach's own candid honesty that set in motion the Brisbane buck's switch to the Storm.
Coates will come up against his future teammates on Thursday night in the first of two individual showdowns in as many weeks with Josh Addo-Carr – the man he has been lured south to replace next season on a two-year deal worth around $1 million.
The Foxx and Heir storyline is set to repeat again in Origin I on June 9, but it was Coates' first meeting with Bellamy late last year that made a marked impact on the Queensland Origin flyer.
Just like the rest of rugby league, Coates asked Bellamy outright when they first met if the esteemed prize-winning coach would still be at the Storm if Coates signed for 2022.
NRL.com understands that Bellamy gave Coates the honest truth. He couldn't give him an answer, but that didn't matter.
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Pointing to the unrivalled culture and systems set up by the master mentor and Melbourne's cavalcade of champion players and off-field operators, the Storm would still take Coates to the next level if he bought in, regardless of whether Bellamy was still there.
From there negotiations with the Storm, Broncos, Titans and Cowboys toed and froed, club bases were toured, with Melbourne's impressive set-up and Bellamy's sincere rather than silver tongue winning the battle for Coates signature.
Not for nothing, Coates has committed to the Storm on a two-year deal while Bellamy is still wrestling with his own future.
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Broncos coach Kevin Walters bristled on Wednesday when asked if the Storm’s culture for improvement was why the 20-year-old had chosen to leave Brisbane for Melbourne.
"That's something you've got to ask Xavier," Walters said.
Asked his thoughts on Coates on NRL360 when his signing was confirmed three weeks ago, Bellamy was about gushing as he gets.
"I’ve met him a couple of times and sat down and had a chat with him," Bellamy said.
"I don’t think I’ve ever met a player I’ve been more impressed with in that situation.
"He’s so humble, down to earth but honest at the same time. After I first spoke to him I thought: this guy’s ideal for us."
Before then, Coates faces the toughest wing assignment in the game marking up on Addo-Carr, the NRL's premier winger and fastest man to boot.
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It was hard to split the pair in their round four head-to-head duel when the Storm blew Brisbane away to win 40-6 on the back of Ryan Papenhuyzen’s four first half tries.
Coates scored the first try of the game and ran for 161m to be Brisbane's best on the night while Addo-Carr had 204m with 5 tackle busts and one line break.
Addo-Carr has since rocketed to the top of the NRL tryscoring leaderboard with 12 tries in four weeks before last week’s quiet outing against Canberra.
Coates meanwhile has scored just twice in his past seven games and will be looking for more involvement against the Storm.
"He has got a big task Xavier. I’m sure he is up to the challenge and he loves the big occasion," Walters said.
"I think last time down in Melbourne in round four he gave a good account of himself Xavier and we expect a similar one tomorrow night.
"He is one of our key players."
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Walters said Storm fullback Nicho Hynes had obviously caught his eye in their game preparation, but he was equally excited to see how his new halves Albert Kelly and Anthony Milford – Brisbane’s sixth combination in 12 games – could perform together.
The Broncos have not won back-to-back games since round two last season and while few give them a chance against the premiers, Walters believes the five-day turnaround from their shock 34-16 win over the Roosters last week works in their favour.
"A shorter turnaround gives them less time to think about what is actually happening," Walters said.
"For mine it’s very easy from a playing point of view, it’s easy to get up for this. We’re playing at home against a quality side, we’ve got some good form on the board from last week and we need to carry that momentum through."
