Western Clydesdales gun Corey Fenning’s rise through injuries to Hostplus Cup stardom

Corey Fenning spent 12 months on the sideline after fracturing his jaw, cheekbone and eye socket. He grabbed a league lifeline thrown to him by the Western Clydesdales this season and now he ranks among their leading stars. Read about his remarkable recovery here.

Corey Fenning of the Western Clydesdales. Picture: Benny Hassum Photography

Western Clydesdales centre Corey Fenning has been a revelation in his debut Hostplus Cup season.

In 15 games, he has scored 10 tries and 116 points as one of the Clydesdales’ breakthrough players of the 2024 campaign.

However, the 23-year-old’s rise was not without struggle, as he battled through a string of serious injuries in recent years.

“I fractured my jaw, cheekbone and eye socket,” Fenning said.

“I did that in 2022 and then I did it again in pre-season of 2023, so I was advised to take the year off and get it fixed up and back playing now which is good.”

After such a difficult run through injury, the former Parramatta Eels NSW Cup product, has had a whirlwind season, after purely focusing on getting back on the field after a sliding doors moment earlier in the year.

“I just wanted to be back playing footy and try and play as consistent as I can but the boys welcomed me in as soon as I got here and it feels like home now so I love it up here,” he said.

Corey Fenning makes a linebreak for the Western Clydesdales. Picture: Benny Hassum Photography

“I thought I still had the ability to play at this level and I sort of proved to myself that I’ve got it still so will keep giving it a crack.

“It all happened really quick, I spoke to my manager and then spoke to Jase (Clydesdales coach Jason Alchin) on the Tuesday.

“Then basically as soon as I hung up the phone to Jase I sort of said to myself, ‘I’m packing my stuff and leaving’ and packed up and left the next day and was up here that weekend.

“I thought to myself that if I didn’t do it, I’d regret it and if I was going to do it, I was just going to pack up and leave and do it straight away.

“I had no time to regret it.”

Despite having a nervy start to his Hostplus Cup career, Fenning quickly found his feet in the competition and guided the Clydesdales to their only win of the season.

Fenning scored two tries and kicked four conversions in the Clydesdales 32-30 defeat of Redcliffe Dolphins.

Corey Fenning scores a try for the Western Clydesdales during their win over the Redcliffe Dolphins. Picture: Benny Hassum Photography

“I was pretty nervous my first couple of games back but I’ve been playing footy for the last 15 years so once you get back into it and know what you’re doing, you feel comfortable again,” he said.

Clydesdales coach Jason Alchin had nothing but praise for one of his newest stars.

“He’s had a lot of impact, he’s a very strong runner and we all know he can goal kick and he’s a very good talker, he brings his knowledge from Parramatta and North Sydney,” Alchin said.

“I would have to say, he’s the number one pest off the field and all the boys love him.

“He’s the bloke everyone needs around the club and a terrific young man.”

After joning the club with such haste from interstate, Alchin has been impressed by the way Fenning has adapted to the club so quickly.

“He’s brought himself to the team, what he says people listen to and he brings enthusiasm, energy and knowledge and tries to help people,” he said.

“It takes a little while to adapt and all of the sudden you play this level and the way he’s adapted is a credit to him and his partner.

“She’s changed her life a bit for him too, she’s come up to help him and he knows that too.”

After a disappointing clash in round 20, where the Northern Pride claimed an emphatic 46-0 win over the Clydesdales, Fenning was impressed with the way his side responded in their final home game of the season against Brisbane Tigers on Sunday despite the 26-10 loss.

“We’ve had a tough couple of weeks and we just said to each other, we just need to stick to each other’s game plan and have each other’s back and enjoy the last couple of weeks together,” he said.

“There’s a few boys going next year, a couple of boys are staying so we just thought we’d have some fun with each other and enjoy everyone’s time.”

The Clydesdales will face back-to-back road trips to Mackay and Papua New Guinea to end the season and Fenning is excited to end the year on a high.

“We’ve had a few away trips over the last month or so, so it is good bonding for everyone we all get together and enjoy each others company,” he said.

“We want to get out there and give it a red hot crack and stick it to these teams.

“If we can muck up someone’s chances of making finals because we have nothing less to lose now, so if we can disappoint another team and disrupt their run home, that’s the goal.”