Fortune favours the brave. So says Dragons coach Paul McGregor after Corey Norman’s second match-winning field goal in as many games.
His left-foot strike proved the difference in their 13-12 golden-point victory over Newcastle at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday night.
The mercurial playmaker drilled a 42-metre field goal with just over two minutes left in extra time to give the Dragons their second win of the season and hand Newcastle a third straight loss.
Ten nights earlier, Norman’s left foot gave the Dragons a 25-24 win against former club Brisbane.
"He’s a joy to coach because he’s an energetic kid that takes footy serious, but in and around that, he can have a bit of fun as well," McGregor said at the post-match media conference.
"He wants the footy at important times, and that’s what your better playmakers do.
Match Highlights: Knights v Dragons
"They want to go after the game instead of trying to hide away from it, and that’s one thing that he’s done in the last couple of weeks.
"He’s wanted that footy at the right time, and he’s come up with two clutch plays."
Norman missed with his first two attempts against the Knights – in the 79th minute then just before half-time in extra time – but did not go missing when a third chance came his way.
Newcastle made a meal of their chance to break the deadlock on the previous possession, then the Dragons worked their way into range and ensured the ball was in Norman’s hands on the last tackle.
McGregor: Korbin wanted to stay out there
"I guess I took it upon myself to step up and have a crack," Norman told reporters after the game.
"I think I said it last week, I don’t have a very good success rate at field goals, but somehow they’re just going over at the moment so I’ll take it.
"Obviously I’m going to back myself. I missed the first two, so for that third one, obviously I’m going to step up and believe I’m going to hit it.
"The first one I kind of rushed, the second one I thought I hit well and I thought it went over, and the third one, as soon as I hit it I looked up and it was a lot straighter."
Taking some of the gloss off the win, prop Korbin Sims will have scans on Monday after suffering a suspected broken left arm.
NSW and Australian back-rower Tyson Frizell scored a crucial try in a successful return after missing the previous two matches because of a lacerated testicle.
Frizell was not replaced after joining the game in the 24th minute. He made an immediate impact by stripping the ball from Mitchell Pearce and scoring under the posts.
