What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Rumours and Stuff

Gronk

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
77,989
Corey Norman ready to step up for Parramatta Eels


Brisbane: Former NRL bad boy Corey Norman has vowed to finally step up as a leader at Parramatta with Queensland jerseys up for grabs this year.

Ahead of his ninth NRL season, Norman – 27 next week – admitted it was time to take ownership of the Eels and stake a Maroons halves claim.

Ready to step up: Corey Norman.

Photo: AAP
Norman is in the mix to fill the void left by the representative retirement of Queensland halves Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk after being included in the Emerging Maroons squad on the Gold Coast this weekend.

The Parramatta playmaker said the penny finally dropped that it was time to become a leader after being named in his first Emerging Maroons squad.

Corey Norman in action for the Eels.

"I think so. I have been working on that (becoming more dominant) the last couple of years," Norman said.

"(But) there are opportunities there now.

"There are a lot of boys who are going to be putting their hand up for those jerseys - I am looking forward to a big year."

There have been plenty of potential wake-up calls for Norman.

He copped an eight week NRL ban in 2016 over a range of indiscretions including two drug convictions – later overturned – and a police warning for consorting with criminals.

Asked if there had been a lightbulb moment when he realised he had to step up, Norman said: "That's a hard one – I know what you were trying to get at (2016 ban).

"But nah. I have always wanted to do this and play at this (Origin) level, it's just that I have now got the opportunity."

New Maroons assistant Josh Hannay said he was looking forward to seeing Norman push his case.

"He's at an age where he is ready to be that leader, the main man at his club Parramatta, and I think it will be exciting this year to see how he handles that," he said.

"He has got the talent. But with a bit of maturity he could really jump out of the pack and have a great start to the year."

AAP

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sp...p-up-for-parramatta-eels-20180128-h0pbnh.html
 

El Diablo

Post Whore
Messages
94,107
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...n/news-story/f079b8e56001a10debc18d757bd0a0d7

Former Parramatta teammates Jeff Robson and Joel Reddy to reunite at the Dapto Canaries this season

Matt Logue, The Daily Telegraph
20 minutes ago

IT has been an eight year wait, but former Parramatta teammates Jeff Robson and Joel Reddy will join forces again.

In a huge boost for country rugby league, Robson has signed with the Dapto Canaries in the Illawarra competition.

The former Eels halfback will replace ex-NRL playmaker Beau Henry, who has signed with Wentworthville after two successful seasons with Dapto.

Robson and Reddy played in Parramatta’s grand final loss against Melbourne in 2009.

Now the pair will line up for Dapto in a strong Illawarra competition, which will feature former NRL stars like Glenn Stewart and Willie Tonga (Wests) in 2018.

Reddy can’t wait to team up with Robson, revealing it has been his long-term plan to play alongside with his former Parramatta teammate.

“I’ve been trying to get Robbo to Dapto since I joined the club a few years ago,” Reddy said.

“I think country footy is a great way to transition post NRL to the rest of your life and that is what I told him.

“You can enjoy some footy with your mates and keep fit while working.

“I think Robbo had a few options. One of them was not to play at all, but he said his body still feels all right so he’d thought he’d give it a crack.

“He wasn’t always playing NRL, so it’s good for him to stick with a team and not have to worry about all the outside stuff.

“Robbo won’t be in that constant battle of thinking, ‘where am I playing this week’ like in the NRL.”

Reddy also recommended Dapto has the perfect club for Robson to establish a new life post his NRL career.

He said the Illawarra competition allows players to maintain their fitness, while having more time for work and family commitments.

“Plus, we have a lot of good guys at the club,” he said.

“Former Dragons and Titans prop Michael Henderson is the captain-coach and we’ve also got Keith Lulia, who played a bit of first grade as well.

“We also have a lot of local guys and a good mix of older and younger guys.”

Fuelled by star signings like Stewart and Tonga, Reddy believes the Illawarra competition will be at its strongest in 2018.

He says the region’s emerging talent will greatly benefit from working alongside ex-NRL players.

“I think it’s great for country footy,” he said.

“The Illawarra comp is really good. You get the ex-NRL players, but we are not going back to try and make first grade again.

“We are going back to give back to the game and help some of the younger players coming through the grades.

“We can give them some tips on what it takes to play in the NRL. Hopefully a few young players can then move on to bigger and better things.

“I know I was excited when I heard a quality player like Glenn Stewart was going to be playing. It just adds to the competition.”
 

Glenneel

Bench
Messages
3,871
We should get Widders back. I saw him at the LOL game he was f**king huge!
One of my all time favourite players. Boy could he play, one of the best super subs we ever had.
Where are all the good fatty players gone, where are the Widders and piggy Riddell's gone to?
 

Poupou Escobar

Post Whore
Messages
92,297
One of my all time favourite players. Boy could he play, one of the best super subs we ever had.
Where are all the good fatty players gone, where are the Widders and piggy Riddell's gone to?
The game is about overloading the ball with numbers these days, so there is little room for players with low work rate, especially in the forwards.
 

hindy111

Post Whore
Messages
63,412
I heard this one.
Crighton will be a Rooster this year and offered Nappa to which Souths said no.
But Kafusi to Souths wuth Nappa to Storm
Seems odd as Kafusi just signed for storm.

Few clubs do not want anything to do with Nappa it seems. Unsure why?
 

El Diablo

Post Whore
Messages
94,107
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...s/news-story/d12d24a106c14e56d6552f9e53bb1339

Monday Buzz: Eels, Tigers worst performers in NRL over past 10 years

Phil Rothfield, The Daily Telegraph
an hour ago

BRAD Arthur wants to build a dynasty at the Parramatta Eels, not just win a premiership.

You can see why. His club is the worst performer in the NRL — alongside the Wests Tigers — over the past decade. Both have made the finals only twice since 2008.

The Daily Telegraph asked Fox Sports statistics guru Aaron Wallace to rate the 16 NRL clubs on the number of times they have made the finals in the past 10 years.

Clearly Melbourne Storm are the benchmark. They have made the playoffs nine times, only missing out the year David Gallop took all their premiership points for rorting the salary cap.

For a Sydney club with a small junior base, Manly have done remarkably well to make the finals eight of 10 years and the top four on five occasions. (Although they have recently been caught rorting the salary cap.)

With 41 sleeps until the 2018 kick-off, it raises an interesting question.

Is it more important to win the premiership this year or to be consistently successful over the next 10 years?

b2178c1f2833a268fee6a94cefc159f9


The Dragons won in 2010 but finished fifth, ninth, 14th and 11th in the following seasons. The Rabbitohs won in 2014 then ran seventh, 12th and 12th.

The lack of sustained excellence has cost them bums on seats, memberships, sponsors and merchandise sales.

Wayne Bennett took the Knights to a grand-final qualifier in 2013 but they followed it up with a 12th and then three wooden spoons.

It’s why no one is under more pressure this year than Knights coach Nathan Brown, who is still cleaning up the mess Bennett left.

For the first time he has the cattle to take Newcastle to the semis this year.

He agrees he’s trying to build sustained excellence.

“Every coach wants to consistently make the finals,” Brown said. “And then be in a position to win the comp. Otherwise, you’re in the wrong business.

“You also need an element of luck. Like if Cooper Cronk hadn’t gone to the Roosters, we wouldn’t have got Mitchell Pearce.”

The Fox Sports consistency “premiership ladder” also shows why the moves to unseat Canterbury Bulldogs chairman Ray Dib and his board at next month’s elections are so outrageous.

Only one of the nine Sydney-based clubs, Manly, have been more successful in the past 10 years.

The Bulldogs run the game’s most profitable leagues club. They have a multinational jersey sponsor in Kia paying $1.5 million a season, way more than most of their rivals.

These achievements come from two key words — consistency and stability.

At the top end of the scale is Storm super coach Craig Bellamy.

Interestingly, Bellamy is not into the five-year plans Gus Gould made famous at the Panthers.

“If you’ve got a five-year plan, or say it’s going to take three years to rebuild, that’s putting limitations on yourself,” Bellamy said.

“The secret is working hard with what you’ve got and you never know what you can achieve.

“It comes back to the mentality of everyone at your club — their hunger and their reason for playing and how hard they want to work.”
 

Latest posts

Top