Rival playmakers Corey Norman and Aidan Sezer vie for derby honours

AS THE future superstar playmakers of their respective clubs, there is not much that separates Corey Norman and Aidan Sezer.

AS THE future superstar playmakers of their respective clubs, there is not much that separates Corey Norman and Aidan Sezer.

The Brisbane and Gold Coast five-eighths, who square off in tonight's important NRL derby at Skilled Park, were born in 1991, are left-footers and are destined for NRL stardom.

Add the fact they both enjoy a 66 per cent winning ratio with their halfback partners this season and it's easy to see why the Broncos and Titans equally value the young men wearing the No.6 jerseys.

Norman has overcome the hype and pressure of replacing retired great Darren Lockyer, while Sezer resurrected a club on its knees after five straight defeats.

"It's typical of young guys who come through these days - confidence is never much of an issue," Titans coach John Cartwright said.

"The best thing for Aidan as far as we are concerned is he has a mile of improvement in him as well."

The first and last time they met, in round 8, it was Norman who grabbed the headlines with a hand in three tries as the Broncos raced to a 26-6 victory.

But that was only Sezer's second NRL game and the former Canterbury under-20s star has grown in stature and confidence since that night.

Sezer's combination with halfback Scott Prince has yielded six wins from nine games and the Broncos are well aware of the strikepower the Gold Coast can muster.

"They're just playing with a lot more confidence at the moment," Broncos coach Anthony Griffin noted.

"The way they blew the Raiders away last week was just some great attack.

"They've got a great kicking game with Sezer and Prince just in general. They've got good structures to the way they kick and they have a left foot-right foot combination. Prince and Sezer are playing with a lot of confidence and they've got (Jamal) Idris and (William) Zillman with real strike there."

The Titans were dealt a blow yesterday when lock Ashley Harrison failed in his comeback bid from a broken toe.

But Griffin said he would not be surprised if star forward Greg Bird (pectoral) made a shock return for the Titans.

Griffin is hopeful Norman and halfback Peter Wallace will get more opportunities to shine tonight after the Broncos' gritty 10-8 win over the Warriors last week featured only one Brisbane try in the seventh minute.

Corey Norman

"If we defend well and we look after the ball we will find enough points to win the game," Griffin said.

"Our key issue is our attitude is building every week."