Just when you thought the NRL player merry-go-round was coming to an end, it would appear there are more movements yet to be completed.
Fox Sports are reporting Corey Norman will be the next player to move in what has been a dramatic NRL off-season, with his destination rumoured to be the St George Illawarra Dragons.
The Dragons have been chasing a new marquee signing for 2019. They were reportedly going after Jarryd Hayne before fresh sexual assault allegations became known against the code-hopping superstar.
While the rumours surrounding Norman have been building for weeks, it’s said the Eels are happy for him to try and restart his career after some indifferent form in the blue and gold over the last 12 months.
According to James Hooper, the deal is set to be announced sometime in the next 48 hours with Norman’s agent working hard to get the deal done after an Eels recruitment meeting on Tuesday had Norman at the top of the agenda.
The Eels finished 2018 with the wooden spoon, and while Norman isn’t the reason why, Parramatta are likely to want a fresh look to the squad come Round 1 in 2019 when they take on the Penrith Panthers in their season opener.
The Dragons, on the other hand, are likely to be losing Gareth Widdop at the end of the 2019 season, who, by all reports, wants to cut his contract short and return to play rugby league in England.
Despite committing for 2019, Widdop needs to be replaced after that and the Dragons may see a three-year contract for Norman as the ideal alternative.
What would be intriguing to see is how the club deals with things in the short term, given it would likely mean Norman playing fullback and Matt Dufty left out of the best 17 ahead of the 2019 season.
The youngster is one of the game’s brightest young prospects, although there was speculation abound that he would leave the club following 2018.
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