Cool Corey has golden touch for Red V in another NRL nail-biter

Theres cool, then theres Corey Norman cool. Not like sitting around a table at a Chinese restaurant with a bunch of societys colourful characters. But instead stepping up when your new team needs it, twice in as many weeks. Ice cool.

The Dragons knew life after Gareth Widdop was coming. It might have already started if their captain cant get back on the park later this year. But with a left boot like Normans, maybe its not so bleak for the Red V after all.

Just 11 days after sinking the dagger into the hearts of his old club Brisbane with a last-gasp field goal, Norman took it to another extreme this week. More than 40 metres out with just a little over two minutes remaining in golden point, the man shown the exit at the Eels is suddenly the Dragons new saint.

"Characters like that do [like the big moments]," McGregor said. "Your better playmakers do. They want to go after the game rather than hiding away from it. When he takes to that training field he works very hard. Hes one of the last to leave. Hes just a footballer and likes to be out on the grass. Hes a joy to coach."

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And if not for Norman, who knows if St George Illawarra wouldnt wake up on Monday morning 0-4 and a team under incredible pressure.

Instead, theyre 2-2 after trips to Townsville, Brisbane and now Newcastle with Normans heroics lifting the Red V to a heart-stopping 13-12 win at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday night.

It capped the first NRL round in over a decade where three matches have gone to golden point. None had a finish as breathtakingly late as this one though.

The result was perhaps cruel on Newcastle, whose three-week five-eighth experiment with Kalyn Ponga is dead. Maybe for years. Maybe forever. He roamed in the No.1 like he couldnt in the No.6, setting up the hosts two first-half tries.

But when a field goal was needed with the scores locked for almost 26 minutes both before and after full-time, he didnt take a one-point attempt. That was left to Mitchell Pearce, who shanked one, fluffed another. And just couldnt find the mark.

Norman tried and failed too. But he succeeded when his side needed it most.

McGregor has another injury headache just after solving one. Tyson Frizell was a general brute on his return, Korbin Sims played for more than 20 minutes with one arm before not returning after half-time. Its suspected he has broken it.

It was largely a tale of the two fullbacks – one reverted to the back and the other recalled – which intrigued as both teams desperately tried to avoid a 1-3 start through the opening month of the season.

On that score, Ponga won a points decision. But Matt Dufty provedRead More – Source

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