Broncos fear a former teammate
March 1, 2016 12:00AM
Parramatta’s off-season spending spree has many expecting Brad Arthur’s side to be the big improvers in 2016. But ahead of the season-opening clash between the Eels and Brisbane on Thursday, Broncos players have nominated a former teammate who made the switch to Parramatta two years ago as the player they fear most.
Corey Norman, who joined the Eels in 2014, has had an outstanding pre-season, backing up his player-of-the-tournament performance in the Auckland Nines with another standout display in the Eels’ convincing win in their main trial against Penrith.
“Everyone at this club knows what sort of talent Normy is and I think fans have probably seen glimpses of it but he looks and sounds like he is ready to take that next step,” Broncos backrower Alex Glenn said yesterday.
“He is outstanding on the chat too … very quick-witted. He is one of those blokes you don’t like to get into a sledging match with because its like playing ping-pong against the wall — no matter how hard you try to get at him it just comes back at you twice as quick.”
Broncos centre Jordan Kahu, a teammate of Norman’s in their days at the Gold Coast’s Keebra Park High School, is also expecting an earbashing.
“Yeah Normy never shuts up … he loves talking to us out there and he is better at it than most of the boys here,” Kahu said with a smile. “The thing with Normy is he doesn’t have much of a body but he would be one of the fittest blokes in the competition and I know he has put in a really big pre-season.
Glenn added: “Kieran (Foran) is the perfect guy to have beside Normy — because he is just such a strong leader and sets the highest standards with his preparation and professionalism,” Glenn said.
“I think we are about to see the best of Normy as a player and that is a pretty scary prospect for us especially — because we all know how great he can be.”
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...e/news-story/cc5b6a85984ec414d3eb9d6220dce459
