With Round 1 now only just over a month away, Brisbane Broncos forward Corey Jensen said he was looking forward to the challenge of facing off against defending premiers the Penrith Panthers to launch the club's 2023 season.
“Oh, it’s a great challenge … they are definitely the benchmark side for the last two-three years now; (but) our focus all pre-season has been on getting better at what we need to get better at and that’s defensively, and we've worked really hard with that, and come Round 1, we'll have a good understanding of where we are at as a club and where we have to be because they are the benchmark,” Jensen told assembled media following the club’s Friday morning training session.
“(Playing the premiers first up), you know where you stand, you know what you have to do … but you know they're going be ready to go from the get-go, they've done that over the last two years, so it's a good test for us.
“I'm sure we'll be ready to go; and get through this trial period and hopefully work on the things we've been working on and we'll be ready in Round 1.”
Match: Panthers v Broncos
Round 1 -
home Team
Panthers
8th Position
away Team
Broncos
6th Position
Venue: BlueBet Stadium, Penrith
Jensen – who has earned the nickname ‘mud crab’ due to his wrestling style during training drills – made the move to Red Hill last year and enjoyed a breakout season after spending five years with the North Queensland Cowboys where he played 58 games, finding what he called a ‘new lease of life’.
“It was a big move; I've spent my whole life up north there and I'm a bit of a family person, so to come down here and take myself out of my comfort zone was a big thing, and I think it really sparked (things) for me to rejuvenate my career a little bit,” Jensen said.
“There's a lot of quality players here and that was a drawcard at the time to come down here and I knew that I still had a lot more better football in me, so I thought a change was good for me and so far, it has worked out well and I'm hoping going into this season that I can have a bigger one.
“I felt coming down here was sort of a new lease on life really. I went out there and just wanted to enjoy my football and there’s a great bunch of players here and they're all young and they're willing to learn and are keeping me on my toes.
“I want to get better, as they do, so we'll keep pushing each other hard."
Last season, Jensen played 18 games for the Broncos and started in 10 of them, but with the Broncos boasting a strong forward pack, remains in competition with the likes of Thomas Flegler to retain starting position this season.
“I got a chance to start there and I really enjoyed that; I hadn't had that previously in my career,” Jensen said.
“It is a different role being and coming off the bench or starting, so wherever Kevie sees the best fit for me and the team, and I know Flegs is the same.
“We both obviously have a preference to start, everyone wants to start, but we have a job to do regardless coming off the bench or starting, and my focus has been on trying to get better each game and each year wherever I'm playing.”
