Coates, Farnworth and Kennedy set for NRL debuts

The Broncos will unleash debutant wingers Xavier Coates and Herbie Farnworth and give former Rabbitohs forward Rhys Kennedy a club debut in the crunch away clash with the Sharks on Sunday.

Due to injury and suspension the Broncos have been forced to make four changes to their backline alone from the side that lost 26-12 to the Newcastle Knights on Saturday night.

Anthony Milford, who played fullback against the Knights, is sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury and captain Darius Boyd will return to the custodian's role after playing five-eighth against Newcastle.

The versatile Jake Turpin, who has mostly played at hooker this year, will play five-eighth alongside Sean O’Sullivan.

With Richie Kennar out with a shoulder injury and Corey Oates on Origin duty with the Maroons, coach Anthony Seibold has handed debuts to 19-year-old Farnworth and 18-year-old Coates.

Coates, who was 18th man against the Knights, has enjoyed a whirlwind month and his selection for Brisbane completes a trifecta of stunning achievements. The lanky flyer was man of the match in the Queensland under-18s 34-12 win over NSW at Suncorp Stadium where he scored a blazing length of the field try. He then represented PNG against Samoa at centre where he showed great maturity and class in his Test debut.

The trainee teacher is good mates with injured Broncos teenage half Tom Dearden. The pair played together with the Currumbin Eagles in under-16s and Coates watched in awe as Dearden made his NRL debut this year at the age of just 18. It was an inspirational moment that lit a fire in the former Marymount High School student.

"I played with Tommy Dearden at the Currumbin Eagles in the under-16s and it is a pretty cool moment seeing one of my mates play first grade," Coates said.

"Tommy has set the standard for us and shown that an 18-year-old can play at a high level in first grade and go really well. Seeing that gives me an aspiration to be like him and train as hard as he does."

Coates will line up on the opposite wing to Farnworth, who was a schoolboy prodigy at soccer in the Manchester United system while growing up in England before choosing to blaze a path in rugby league.

Farnworth, who also kicks goals, makes his NRL debut after starring for Norths Devils in the Intrust Super Cup. In 11 games this year Farnworth has scored 12 tries and landed 43 goals for a personal points tally of 134.

He has impressed the Broncos coaching staff with his application to training and with his continual development.

Farnworth and Coates made their senior club debuts for Brisbane in a trial against Souths-Logan in Warwick in the pre-season. Both impressed in their stints with Coates showing blistering speed down the left touchline on the way to a stunning try.

The 14th-placed Broncos will also be without Maroons forwards Joe Ofahengaue, David Fifita and Matt Gillett against the Sharks. That has paved the way for Kennedy, who made a mid-season switch to the Broncos, to make his club debut off the bench. The 24-year-old impressed in his debut game for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Intrust Super Cup on Saturday where he ran for 124 metres in a 41-minute display that helped inspire a 14-10 win over competition leaders Sunshine Coast.