By Joel Gould
When he was at the Cowboys they used to call forward Corey Jensen “Terminator Two”, such was the qualified sports scientist’s athletic prowess and impact.
The 29-year-old prop moved to the Broncos last year and the club’s contact coach, Brett “Bumper” O’Farrell, noted Jensen’s tenacity and quickly coined another nickname.
Corey Jensen is tackled during a Brisbane Broncos training session at Gilbert Park last week. The Broncos face the Panthers in their opening match.Credit:Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images
“We were doing a wrestling drill, and because mudcrabs don’t like to let go when they wrestle, I got the nickname mudcrab,” Jensen said.
“I’ll take that. It’s not a bad compliment.”
The Broncos use performance measures to track what each player is contributing on the field.
Jensen’s numbers for strength, endurance, power and intensity are always in the top echelon.
When he is on the park, he is providing bang for buck.
Jensen had not started in consecutive NRL games in five seasons at the Cowboys. Last year he had a stretch of 10 games in a row as starting prop, a stretch that coincided with Brisbane’s mid-season seven-game winning streak.
“Last year I got a chance to start and I really enjoyed that. I hadn’t had that previously in my career and it is a different role,” Jensen said.
“It was a big move (from Townsville to Brisbane). I’d spent my whole life up north and I am a bit of a family person, so to come down here and take myself out of my comfort zone was a big thing.
Whether coach Kevin Walters starts with Jensen, fans can be assured the player will be using the science behind athletic improvement to complement his recognised commitment.
“When you get older you have to be smarter about how you look after your body,” Jensen said.
“Having that (sports science) degree definitely does help. Year on year I just try to improve in every aspect.”
The Broncos play defending premiers Penrith away in round one, an immediate test of their own title credentials.
“It is a great challenge. They have been the benchmark side for the last two or three years,” Jensen said.
“Our focus all pre-season has been about getting better at what we need to get better with.
“Come round one, we will have a good understanding of where we are at as a club, and where we need to be.”
– AAP
