The Melbourne Storm put on an attacking clinic on Monday night, defeating the New Zealand Warriors 70-10.
Ryan Papenhuyzen may have received the Spirit of ANZAC Medal, but winger Xavier Coates was also a standout in the match, scoring an impressive four tries.
His haul included a hat-trick notched up in an eight-minute period, as well as 200 run metres.
The 21-year-old was brought in for 2022 to fill the void left by Josh Addo-Carr, and he has well and truly met - and arguably exceeded - the expectations put in place for him.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy was full of praise for Coates after the game.
"He's been tremendous," Bellamy said.
"I had given him a rap after preseason ... he really put in a big [effort].
"I think the last couple of weeks he's probably been a little bit down in confidence.
"Our right side hasn't been at their best defensively, just with their cohesion ... he got a little bit down about that.
"But the one thing about Xavier - whatever he does, he does flat out. And that's what we love about him.
"He went flat out a few times tonight and that's why he got a couple of those tries, you know.
"We love having him in our side and he's a really valuable member of our team now."
#NRLStormWarriors Match Highlights 🎥
— NRL (@NRL) April 25, 2022
The @storm score 13 TRIES in an unforgettable #ANZACRound clash! pic.twitter.com/2K9LNrE39V
Coates scored 11 tries in 17 appearances for the Brisbane Broncos last season and has already scored seven tries in seven games for his new club this year.
His four-try haul on Monday night was the first of his career.
As for the opposition, it was a difficult night for the visiting Warriors.
It was the club's heaviest ever defeat, on a night soured by injuries to Josh Curran and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.
Their next match is against a struggling Canberra Raiders side on Saturday.
