So now to the bigger question: is Norman — who is on his last, last, last chance with the NRL integrity unit — worth the gamble? The Dragons most certainly think so and Norman’s former Eels teammate, Jarryd Hayne, partly explains their optimism. They had a passing interest in Hayne earlier this year, but it escalated as it became clear they needed an outside back, especially with Nene Macdonald released to play for the Cowboys. A deal was on the table for Hayne to sign until he was charged with serious sexual assault offences and it was promptly withdrawn. When Hayne first met with Dragons officials, he was typically Hayne Plane-like when it came to which position he would play.

“I’ll be playing fullback with you guys,” he told them. When Norman met with them, he humbly offered this: “I can’t do anything with you guys unless Gareth Widdop and Ben Hunt are comfortable with me being here.” Apparently, they are. When Norman eventually signs, he will play five-eighth with Widdop moving to fullback. Where coach Paul McGregor plays Matt Dufty is the conundrum. With Widdop likely to head back to England after next season, the club doesn't want to see him go. The wing seems a likely fit. What appeals to the Dragons about Norman is that he’s a superb left-foot kicker. They also like that he played a lot of football with Hunt at the Broncos at the start of their careers.

Slippery customer: Unwanted Eel Norman can be electrifying on his day. Credit:AAP When Norman gets in the game, his ability is there for all to see. That's not in question. His attitude is. Norman is a party boy. You know it. Parramatta know it. The Dragons know it. The NRL integrity unit definitely knows it. This is his very last chance to make it work. One more off-field slip up and the NRL will deregister him indefinitely. It would be a sad waste of talent. Part of the Dragons' relative success last season was their culture. What does signing Norman say about their club? Macdonald was let go because of a poor off-field ethic, which was disappointing because he can be a devastating winger on his day.

Dragons fans can be pessimistic souls. I blame it on grand final losses in 1985, 1992-93, 1996 and 1999, as well as the preliminary final loss to the Tigers in 2005 … But who’s counting!? Few of them believe Norman is worth the gamble. He's the only one who can prove them wrong. Leave it to Beavis Veteran player manager Wayne Beavis, 77, has been the busiest man in rugby league this week, which is surprising when you consider he handed in his agent accreditation and retired in January last year. Beavis was at Burwood Local Court on Monday morning as Jarryd Hayne faced sexual assault charges. He was at Manly Local Court on Tuesday morning as Dylan Walker faced assault charges. He was with Sharks coach Shane Flanagan on Wednesday as it emerged Flanagan faced the distinct possibility of being deregistered by the NRL.

All of this followed the departures earlier this season of two of his other prized clients, former Penrith coach Anthony Griffin and former Manly coach Trent Barrett. Some close to Beavis have told him that he should consider walking away from Hayne, who isn’t contracted to any club. Beavis, who is loyal to his clients to a fault, says he could never do that to the young player he identified when he was 16. Cheika in the balance On the twelfth day of Christmas — or some day before Christmas — Rugby Australia chairman Cameron Clyne says Michael Cheika will know if he will still be Wallabies coach next year. Ho-ho-ho.

The general feeling is Cheika will survive despite being in charge of an Australian side that’s just recorded its worst season since 1958 — and not least because his payout would be about $1 million. That’s some serious ashtray change RA can ill afford to cough up. 'Tis the season: Michael Cheika faces a Christmas nightmare. Credit:AP Yes, you read right: $1 million. When Cheika extended his deal in May 2016, he was the reigning World Rugby coach of the year after the Wallabies bravely and unexpectedly reached the World Cup final against New Zealand. He was worth every cent then. Not so much now. Many critics want him speared. Others just want his assistant coaches sacked (I mean, really?). But, in these desperate times, let’s heed the simple advice of the great Hunter S Thompson: “Buy the ticket, take the ride”.

In other words, RA allowed Cheika to dig this hole. Give him the chance to dig himself out of it … and then sack him! All that glitters... The indomitable Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys went nuclear when the TAB decided to withdraw its sponsorship of next year’s inaugural $7.5 million Golden Eagle. V’landys accused the TAB of kow-towing to Victorian racing, which is angry because the new race will be held at Rosehill on the same day as the Victoria Derby at Flemington. It’s not the first time those down south have been paranoid about Sydney racing. The Herald-Sun, the Melbourne paper that has a lucrative deal with Racing Victoria, was instructed to keep its coverage of this year's The Everest to a quarter of a page.

The Golden Eagle (for four-year-olds) fits in snugly with the Golden Slipper (two-year-olds) and Golden Rose (three-year-olds) to complete the Golden Slam. But it was almost called something else. Other potential names for the race included the Golden Star, the Golden Heart, Heart of Gold, the Golden Horseshoe and this column’s personal favourite, the Golden Unicorn. The Quote “We ever been to the moon? They're going to come get us, I don't think so either. Sorry, I don't want to start conspiracies.” — Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry pondered this on a podcast then went out and dropped 38 points against Minnesota. Taking on NASA and the NBA? Amazeballs. Thumbs up

Anyone with a vague interest in cricket has seemingly landed a commentary gig this summer. But in these revolutionary times, with unfamiliar talking heads popping up all over the place, it's been reassuring to hear the colorful descriptions from ABC doyen Jim Maxwell, who has been calling the game since 1977. Thumbs down This column has been a dedicated Triple J listener for decades — I know: time to grow up, right? — so it was sad to hear Paralympian Dylan Alcott announce was giving up his casual hosting gig to concentrate on Tokyo 2020. “You’ll no longer be hearing my raspy voice,” he said. And we are worse off for it, Dylan. It’s a big weekend for … Virat Kohli. If the Indian captain keeps getting this animated on a cricket field, I predict he will pop at eyeball before the third Test in Melbourne. Seriously, though, how compelling is he to watch?