New Parramatta captain Kieran Foran believes halves partner Corey Norman is on the same level as ex-teammate Daly Cherry-Evans.

“They’re pretty similar, to be honest,” Foran said.

“Corey’s a phenomenal talent. He’s as good a player as I’ve played alongside. His skillset and the way he moves is so exciting.

“He’s just a natural footballer. He’s just able to provide that skill that we need.

“We’ve been combining well at training. We’ve worked on how we want to get the team around the field, where we want to be positioned at certain times, and we’re really excited about linking up together this weekend for the first time.”

A rival assistant coach who asked to remain anonymous has told The81stMinute.com that Eels shouldn’t buy into the hype too early.

“They won the Nines and Norman was pretty good,” he said.

“They’re putting a lot of pressure on themselves and they haven’t done anything yet.”