Dragons glory after Norman’s conquest
DRAGONS five-eighth Corey Norman plunged the dagger into his former club with one of the greatest plays of his NRL career to break Brisbane’s hearts 25-24 in a thriller last night at Suncorp Stadium.
In a pulsating affair before 21,081 fans, Dragons recruit Norman proved the hero, snapping a field goal with 12 seconds remaining as the Red V inflicted fresh pain on a shattered Broncos outfit.
But the win could come at a devastating cost, with English Test star Gareth Widdop suffering a nasty shoulder injury that is set to sideline him for an extended period.
Last year, the Dragons turned Suncorp Stadium into their personal playground when they hammered the Broncos 48-18 in a finals carve-up that ended Brisbane’s season and the career of coach Wayne Bennett at Red Hill.
Now they have rubbed salt into the Broncos’ wounds, with Norman – a Keebra Park product who made his first-grade debut for Brisbane in 2010 – stepping up in his first significant play for his new club.
The Dragons were the better team for most of the night, with Ben Hunt producing another sublime display against his former club to propel the joint-venture club to a 10-0 lead inside 12 minutes and 24-18 with 18 minutes to play.
But the Broncos refused to yield, with Dragons junior Jack Bird giving his side hope when he pounced on a Widdop error in the 74th minute to level scores at 24-all.
With the match hurtling towards extra-time, enter the Norman Conquest: Corey calmly stood and delivered to snap St George Illawarra’s two-match losing streak and leave Brisbane win a 1-2 winloss record after three rounds.
While the Dragons were outstanding in midfield, the Broncos will rue a poor start and too many unforced errors in clutch moments headlined by Jamayne Isaako spilling the ball with the line wide open at 18-all in the 60th minute.
If a week is a long time in politics, it is an eternity in rugby league.
Just ask Tevita Pangai Jr. Six days after pulverising the Cowboys, Pangai Jr came crashing back to earth with three costly errors that underlined the perils of failing to respect the fundamentals.