Norey puts the heartbreak of PREM Final injury in the past

More than four months on from the heartbreaking realisation that his Gallagher PREM Final was over after just eight minutes of action, hooker Max Norey returns to action in a Derby Weekend clash this Saturday evening.

Norey had spent six consistent weeks as the Chiefs’ first choice hooker at the tail-end of last season after club captain Jack Yeandle suffered a season-ending injury in April. Then came the fulfilment of a childhood aspiration – starting a league final in front of more than 81,000 people at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

With less than 10 minutes played on the clock, worry consumed the Chiefs ranks as the 28-year-old front-rower struggled to maintain his footing in the defensive line in his own 22.

Norey said: “I’d been at the club when we were making finals regularly, and I remember sitting in the stands thinking, ‘This is cool, I’d love to be able to play in one of these games one day’. So, going into the final last year was an unbelievable experience.

“We were defending and as the ball came out of the breakdown, I went to run off the line and just as I pushed off, I ruptured my medial head which is an attachment point in your calf. I felt the pop straight away, and I knew I’d done something pretty bad.

“Jamie [Fulton, head of medical] and Doc [Adrian Harris, director of medical and match doctor] ran on. They said I had to try to get some weight through it. I knew straight away I wouldn’t be able to do that, but I tried anyway. I think they radioed up immediately to get [Joseph] Dweba ready.

“It was pretty gutting. Hopefully, we go well this season, and I can get another chance because it was hard to take.”

The immediate aftermath was brutal for Norey, who had to watch from the sidelines as his teammates were defeated 26-17 by Northampton Saints. However, after a summer break to warmer climates to clear his head, he returned to Sandy Park and his rehab process with the medical team with renewed vigour.

He explained: “It wasn’t too bad if I’m honest. It’s not a massive rehab process and there was no operation involved; it was just a case of getting strong again.

“I did some off-feet conditioning and then had to go straight in for the second bronco of pre-season and I beat [Jack] Yeandle! I knew that he’d run it well, so I wanted to make sure I was keeping in with him. You want competition in your position but Jules [Julian Heaven] and [Louie] Gulley were just flying whereas I was coming in off the back of a couple weeks’ worth of running. So, I thought I’d done fairly well.”

The front row has long been a point of pride in the Chiefs’ game. Director of rugby Rob Baxter has amassed a tough and talented group of hookers in recent years with the aforementioned Heaven, Gulley, Yeandle and Dweba competing fiercely for opportunities this season. Was it a little daunting then to come into that group straight from the rehab room?

Norey added: “Personally, I don’t really think of things like that. I don’t know if that’s maybe a naïve way of thinking? I’ve often thought as long as I’m focused on myself, on training the best I can and playing well, then hopefully that’ll be enough.

“In all honesty, I actually feel really bad for Gulley this week. I think he’s gone incredibly well this season. I’ve been in that situation where you’re playing consistently but when a more experienced player comes back to fitness, they need the game minutes.

“I’ve spoken to him about it all because I see the similarities in us a little. He’ll have plenty more opportunities though, he’s a good player.”

Norey had a pitch-side seat to Gulley’s latest performance, against Stade Toulousain at the Stadium de Toulouse last Sunday afternoon, as Chiefs were denied a draw in the 80th minute of their opening Investec Champions Cup clash. Did watching the match light a fire under the hooker to push hard to make his return?

He said: “It’s almost hard to sum up. I was chatting to a few lads after the game trying to explain that it’s not until you sit back and watch a game like that that you realise how big of an occasion that actually was! It was 32,000 people, packed out stadium and we nearly beat them. It’s similar to the final, isn’t it? It’s only once you get the chance to reflect that you see the momentousness of it all.

“To sit and watch it was a little gutting, because you always want to be involved, but to observe and take in the atmosphere was special. It also gives you the drive to want to get back in the mix to be playing big games like that.”

Norey returns to action this weekend against familiar foes Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate. This fixture could include him feeding a set-piece with a new face in it, as back-rower Harry Wilson joined Chiefs in the summer and is named alongside Norey on the bench. However, the hooker is fairly confident there shouldn’t be any teething issues.

He said: “During my rehab, when I wasn’t training, I’d try to come out to watch as many sessions as I could, especially the set-piece sessions. It allowed me to get a read on how people moved, how they jumped and natural movements in the set.”

Set piece could be a key focal point of the game this weekend with the weather forecast predicting heavy rain and 40mph winds come kick-off. Chiefs and Norey have done their homework on their opposition and are not daunted by the conditions.

He agreed: “They’re a team that like to play from anywhere. They back themselves to score more points than you, so hopefully if we can front up in defence and score more, then it’ll be a good game.

“There are a few external factors that might play a role though. Obviously, the weather is not looking too good, but hopefully that’ll play into our hands more than theirs. We just need to do what we do well to put ourselves on the right side of the result.”