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Message: [QUOTE="Super Freak, post: 2859997, member: 8536"] [SIZE=6][B]Broncos forward Josh McGuire fears ability of Parramatta’s Corey Norman[/B][/SIZE] JOSH McGuire fears Corey Norman’s danger as a pure footballer with Parramatta presenting two road blocks to the Broncos’ top-four ambitions. Norman was the field-goal hero of Parramatta’s nerve-jangling one-point win over Wests Tigers last Sunday which kept the Eels in seventh place with six rounds to go. Brisbane play Parramatta in Sydney on Friday night and again on August 24 at Suncorp Stadium in the second last round of the season. “Parramatta are a big test. They are a skilful team with Corey Norman, who I played a lot of football with here,’’ McGuire said. “Normie is a cheeky little bugger and a good football player. That’s what he is — a football player. He tends to be in the right place at the right time. “Hopefully he doesn’t play too well against us on Friday night.’’ Norman is headed for finals football as an Eels for the first time in his fourth season since leaving the Broncos for more pay and better opportunity in a playmaker role. The 26-year-old, regarded by Brent Tate as Queensland’s post-Cronk era answer as chief playmaker, has found a rush of form, ranking equal first over the past four rounds on Fox Sports Stats’ line break assist rankings, with four. Norman is equal fourth for try assists (four) over that four-week period. While the Eels will miss fullback Clint Gutherson for the rest of the year with an anterior cruciate ligament rupture, they still possess strike players out wide. Winger Semi Radradra ranks first over the past four weeks in the NRL for line breaks with eight, while on the other flank the promising Bevan French is second with six. Radradra is equal second for the season, the last of his Eels contract, with 18 line breaks, behind only Canberra winger Jordan Rapana (22). Some recent free-scoring rounds, particularly last week’s 42-12 win over Canterbury, have lifted the Broncos to third for tries this year, averaging 3.9 a game compared with Parramatta’s 3.2 average, which is good for 12th place. “We want to keep on building and this is the first full week of training together for quite a few weeks,’’ said McGuire, who was rested along with Matt Gillett for Brisbane’s match immediately after Origin III. “We have four games at home (out of the last six before the finals) and Gold Coast down the road, which feels like a home game for us.’’ Brisbane will be keen to welcome back Darius Boyd from a broken thumb if he negotiates this morning’s last training session without pain. “If Darbs is on board for us, it’s a big plus because he does a lot of different things for us,’’ McGuire said. “He’s our captain and he takes a lot of pressure off Anthony Milford and Ben Hunt.’’ [URL]http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/teams/eels/broncos-forward-josh-mcguire-fears-ability-of-parramattas-corey-norman/news-story/53642a604629ff87d8c4cc17271df22b[/URL] [/QUOTE]

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