Norman makes Prime Minister's XIII

COREY NORMAN REPLACES JOSH PAPALII IN PRIME MINISTER’S XIII SIDE TO PLAY PAPUA NEW GUINEA19 minutes agoRikki-Lee ArnoldThe Courier-MailThe daily TelegraphSubscriber onlyCOREY Norman has been handed his first representative jersey, after the Eels sensation was called into the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII in place of Josh Papalii.Queensland forward Papalii was a late scratching from the trip to Port Moresby yesterday, after he decided to be with family following the loss of his grandfather.Pending any visa issues, Brisbane-born Norman will now join the 18-man Australian squad for the clash with PNG on Saturday, in what is a massive reward for the 26-year-old.Norman — who became available after Parramatta were knocked out of finals contention last week — is yet to play for any representative teams, despite being on the brink of making his Origin debut for several years.He was close to a call-up for the Maroons this year after Johnathan Thurston suffered a shoulder injury ahead of Game One, but lost his chance after he was sidelined with a knee injury in May.Meninga revealed last week that Norman and Michael Jennings were the only Eels players in consideration for spots in this year’s World Cup squad.Norman’s selection now means he must impress Meninga on Saturday when they meet a depleted PNG.Assistant coach Adrian Lam said Norman had to show what he could bring to the Australian team.“It’s exciting for Corey and for the team as well,” he said.“It’s an opportunity to show his wares.“He’s obviously played some really good football this year and has been rewarded for that. The courage of him playing the way that he has done the last couple of weeks especially has earnt him the spot.“They all need to have a big game. They all have an opportunity to play well … and show the coach that they belong in his system and the World Cup squad.“We’re going to miss (Papalii) and he’s obviously pulled out to spend time with the family. We wish him all the best and send all our love to him and the family.”The PM’s XIII, minus Norman, arrived in Cairns on Tuesday for their first training session together and will today travel to Port Moresby to continue preparations for Saturday’s clash.Lam said Norman will play off the bench as a utility, with James Maloney and Jack Bird to pair in the halves.Norman can also play at fullback, but Meninga already has multiple No. 1 options at his disposal, with James Tedesco, Dane Gagai, Valentine Holmes, Josh Dugan and Tom Trbojevic all in the squad.Tedesco will wear the No. 1 jersey on Saturday, but Lam said everyone will take turns rotating through positions to show Meninga how they go.Gagai, who is expected to start on the wing, said he doesn’t view the other players as his World Cup competition but is more excited to get the opportunity to play alongside them.“I don’t see it as I am coming up against them ... I see it that I’m fortunate enough to play alongside these guys,” he said.“I played against Teddy and Klemmer and a few of those boys in the Origin period but now we all get to chuck on the same jersey.“I look at it as a great opportunity to play alongside some players I might not get to play with.”

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  • Hmmmm , are there clubs in png ?
    • Yes Indeed ! They have wooden ones ... to knock em out before picking them up !

  • But how does that relates to gay marriage?   Yes, you guessed it.  Sick and tired of it already.

  • Hehe . Fongy there was no rise last sat night ....
  • They must've thought that Corey is pretty well rested and fresh to go .
    • Lets face it, he has been resting for the last four weeks based on his performances.

  • They called Corey an 'Eels sensation' ?? Hmmmm

    Mayb on social media....
    • Lol maybe ...,, slurp
  • Theres no way he deserves that, and i thought he was carrying a leg injury that people were excusing his poor form on.

    Theres no way he deserves this call up, hopefully the PNG lads knock a bit of dope out of him.

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