Norman fits on big stage
“IT’S not beyond him to be the star of the show.”
Those were the words Queensland legend Billy Slater used to describe debutant Corey Norman just seconds before kick-off and the Keebra Park graduate delivered.
Although playing in a losing side, Norman put in a performance reminiscent of someone who has years of experience in the toughest arena of all.
With the scores locked at 8-all at halftime, memories of Game One came rushing back for Queensland fans but the script was flipped and it was NSW who put a first-half slump behind them to dash away to victory.
But no matter the result, Norman stamped himself as an Origin player.
He set up Queensland’s first try four minutes into the game with a perfectly weighted grubber and his boot kept NSW under pressure all night.
The pressure of wearing a maroon No.6 jersey made famous by Wally Lewis, Darren Lockyer and Jonathan Thurston didn’t weigh him down.
“We know he has class. Right from day one in camp he has been really vocal and a leader on that left edge,” Slater said.
Thurston added: “The thing that has impressed me is his mental toughness.
“It doesn’t matter what he is doing on the field. If he makes an error he flushes it and gets along with his next job.”
No matter how much Queensland skipper Daly Cherry-Evans combined with the ever-threatening Cameron Munster on the right edge, Norman’s presence lingered in the back of the minds of NSW as he got to work with his Dragons teammate Ben Hunt.
In the end the difference between the sides was the man of the series James Tedesco.
The Blues fullback looks dangerous every time he has the ball.