Melbourne's slender hopes of making the NRL finals have been dealt a major blow with star winger Xavier Coates ruled out for the season after snapping his Achilles.
Coates was on the comeback trail after injuring his Achilles in the pre-season, requiring surgery that put him out for three months.
With State of Origin off the table, the Storm set a target of round 10 for his return but that was pushed back with the Queensland representative flyer's recovery slower than expected.
