Gold Coast Titans turn down chance to sign Corey Norman due to off-field dramas
TITANS coach Garth Brennan likes the look of Corey Norman — but the out-of-favour Parramatta playmaker’s reputation appears too much a club trying to put off-field dramas behind them.
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COREY Norman’s bad-boy reputation has cost the out-of-favour Parramatta playmaker any hope of a big-money move to the Gold Coast Titans.
The Courier-Mail can reveal Norman has been secretly shopped to the Titans, with Parramatta prepared to subsidise the former Bronco’s return to Queensland after a series of off-field dramas at the Eels.
Norman’s management has held informal talks with Titans coach Garth Brennan to gauge the prospect of the 27-year-old reigniting his NRL career at the Gold Coast.
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On talent alone, Brennan would be prepared to sign Norman, but the Titans’ recruitment-and-retention committee has torpedoed a possible lifeline due to the five-eighth’s chequered history.
Norman was fined $20,000 a fortnight ago for drinking alcohol while injured, which came two years after the one-time Queensland Origin hopeful was embroiled in a sex-tape scandal.
Titans hierarchy are determined to cultivate a squeaky-clean image following the club’s cocaine drama in 2015 and believe Norman is not the right fit for their club.
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Another impediment is Norman’s salary at Parramatta, believed to be around $900,000-a-season, a wage the Titans cannot afford under their salary cap for 2019, even with an Eels subsidy.
“Based on our current roster commitments and our recent acquisitions of players like Tyrone Peachey and Shannon Boyd, our cap and budget projections over the next few years don’t provide the capacity for a player like Corey to be part of our plans,” Titans boss Graham Annesley said.
Norman has links to the Gold Coast. A Beenleigh Lions junior, Norman was a teenage sensation at Keebra Park High on the Gold Coast before being snapped up by Broncos scouts.
After steering the Eels to the top four last season, Norman was considered a Queensland Origin contender but Parramatta’s shock free fall this year has seen him fall off the Maroons’ selection radar.
Brennan confirmed he has been offered the services of Norman but admits a Gold Coast lifeline is slim.
“Corey is a talented footballer, there’s no doubt about it, and if a guy of his ability becomes available, I would certainly want to discuss him with our committee,” he said.
“But this is a call I can’t make on my own as Corey has a chequered history with his off-field behaviour.
“In terms of talent, he could add something to our team, but there are other considerations.
“At the moment, he has a contract with Parramatta so we can’t have formal talks anyway and we have some salary cap restrictions.”
Originally published as Gold Coast Titans turn down chance to sign Corey Norman due to off-field dramas