Flood hero Bronco Corey Jensen dubbed NRL’s ‘nicest guy’

He is the quiet and unassuming rugby league hunk who has become the Brisbane Broncos’ flood-rescue hero and, according to a viral post, he’s the player his teammates would most want to date their sister. Find out what makes Corey Jensen tick.

He is the rugby league social-media hunk who has become the Brisbane Broncos’ flood-rescue hero.

Dubbed the “nicest guy in the NRL”, Broncos forward Corey Jensen has recounted the “freakish” flash flood in his Brisbane street that put the lives of his elderly neighbours in danger.

At the Broncos, Jensen prefers to stay under the radar. Quiet and unassuming, he gets the job done on the field without fuss or fanfare, happy to reside in the shadows of Broncos young gun superstars Reece Walsh and Ezra Mam.

But Jensen was thrust into the spotlight last week when a Brisbane social-media post went viral.

The Broncos squad was asked which teammate they would allow to date their sister.

Jensen won the vote in a landslide, the 30-year-old described by teammates as a “good dude” and “as nice as they come” in an Instagram post lapped up by almost 1 million viewers.

Corey Jensen is the player his teammates would most likely recommend their sister to date. Picture, John Gass

It was just as well Jensen was the boy next door when a monster storm ripped through Brisbane’s northside last week and not only caused flood damage to his home, but left his elderly neighbours stranded.

Born in Townsville, Jensen is no stranger to wild weather and was forced to act quickly when he heard a nearby cry for help in the middle of the night.

“The flood was so bizarre,” recalled Jensen, who will fly out with the Broncos to America on Thursday week for the NRL’s historic season opening game in Las Vegas.

“It only happened last week.

“It hadn’t rained at all that day. I went to bed and then I woke up at 2am with the power out.

“I looked out the window and there was a metre-plus flood of water coming down the street. I have a two-storey place, so I went downstairs to check for damage and it was all flooded.”

Jensen is officially the strongest man in the Broncos’ gymnasium.

Capable of squatting more than 200kg, his brute strength came in handy as the rising floods left his elderly neighbours, believed to be in their 70s, trapped inside.

“My neighbours next door are quite old and they were in a low-set house,” Jensen explained.

“I heard them calling out.

“Once I woke up and realised what was going on, I ran next door, helped them out and brought them over to my place.

“I put them higher on the second floor of my house. They stayed with me until the water went down and then their son picked them up and took them back to his place. They have somewhere to stay at least while their house is being sorted, which is good.”

Corey Jensen is one of the nice guys of the NRL. Photo: Scott Davis/NRL Imagery.

Ever humble, Jensen played down suggestions he could have saved his neighbours’ lives.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a lifesaver,” Jensen said with a sheepish grin.

“I just made sure they were nice and dry and had a place to stay while the water went down.

“It was a freakish thing that happened. The water went down as quickly as it came up. I don’t know how it happened so quickly, but we were in the striking area and the water came flooding in.

“It’s been a whirlwind few weeks, I’m trying to sort out insurance and cleaning up. The club has been great giving me time off to get things sorted.

“They (elderly couple) told me they have lived there 50 or 60 years and had never seen anything like that, so they are doing it a bit tougher than I am.

“They have lost a lot of their possessions and it will be a big cleaning process, but we’ll get there.”

No-one at the Broncos is surprised by Jensen’s spirit of generosity.

When Broncos great Carl Webb tragically died four days before Christmas after a battle with Motor Neurone Disease, his children and partner were invited to the club to unveil a ‘Strength Leaderboard’ named after Webb in Brisbane’s gymnasium.

Brisbane Broncos player Corey Jensen with his wife Shannen on their wedding day in October 2018. Photo: Vicki Miller Photography.

Jensen was on hand to greet Webb’s children and partner.

“Corey is one of the nicest humans you will ever meet,” said a Broncos official.

“There’s never a problem with him, he works hard and is zero maintenance. .

“Corey Jensen is the guy you want to marry your daughter … he is just a lovely bloke.”

Ahead of Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, the sad news for Jensen’s fans is the chiselled 107kg forward is off the market.

“I have been happily married for six years now,” he said.

“I have been in a relationship for a long time now with my partner Shannen and it’s going really well.

“Shannen is the same age as me, we went to school together so it’s like high-school sweethearts you can say.

“She is still based in Townsville, she is a director in the vet business she works for, so she is pretty high up there and enjoying her work.

“Shannen does the trips back and forth for Broncos games.

“When I’m finished playing football, I will probably end up back in north Queensland, it’s worked for us the last three years so we will keep it going.”

Jensen laughed off the Broncos social-media post gone viral, saying he feels old compared to Brisbane’s NRL heart-throbs Walsh, Pat Carrigan and Jordan Riki.

“No way am I the heart-throb,” said the man nicknamed ‘CJ’.

“I will take that as a compliment, but I just try and be a nice guy. I’m respectful of everyone and that’s who I am and the way I was brought up. If that’s what people like, then it’s a good thing.

“I want to be someone that any person or Broncos fan can come and talk to in the street and have a chat with. I want to be that role model for the younger players here.

“I’m just the nice guy here on the sideline. Reece Walsh and Jordan Riki can take all the hearts and the headlines.

“I’m happy to do my bit quietly in the background.”