Norman cops $20k fine for drinking

COREY Norman’s future at Parramatta is on a precipice after he was fined $20,000 for drinking while on the NRL club’s injured list.

The Eels yesterday confirmed Norman had been issued a breach notice, after the latest in a string of indiscretions for the 27-year-old.

The club would not comment on the circumstances but it’s understood Norman was reprimanded after posting pictures of himself consuming alcohol on social media.

It’s understood this occurred several weeks ago while he was nursing an injury and is unrelated to the foot problem that will see him miss Saturday’s clash with Newcastle.

Norman’s teammates yesterday defended his character, with Bevan French describing the lengths he went to to make him feel at home when he arrived at the club. But he did concede the club’s rules about drinking when injured were black and white.

“Corey is someone who teaches me a lot on the field and he’s one of the leaders here now,” French said.

Michael Jennings, who is part of the Eels leadership group, said Norman had taken ownership of his mistake.

“We spoke as a leadership group that we’ve got standards to uphold and Normie, being a part of that leadership group, he understands the consequences of his actions,” Jennings said. “He’s dealing with it now and he should be fine.”

It has been reported Norman is out of favour with Eels management and the club would not stand in his way should he seek a release before his contract expires at the end of next year.