The 28-year-old made his Queensland State of Origin debut last season, but in what is fast becoming an unwanted trend, the Maroons failed to lift the shield at the end of the series.

That came after his Parramatta Eels finished with the wooden spoon in 2018 and amidst a horror year for the Dragons, the side eventually finishing 15^th.

With team success so hard to come by, Norman knows the turnaround must start immediately.

"For me, I need a big season," Norman said. "I've come off two poor years, to be honest, I need a good year.

"My team getting to the finals is a start. For me, it's not really individual, I just want St George Illawarra to win.

"The last two years, I've won 14 games. I just want my team to win and go well. For me, it's not the individual things, I just want the team back on track."

A prodigious talent, Norman has struggled to climb to the highs many expected him to reach after he burst on to the scene for the Broncos as a 19-year-old in 2010.

Hailed as a potential long-term replacement for legend Darren Lockyer, Norman finished the 2013 season in reserve grade after signing with the Eels early in the season.

Controversy followed the five-eighth to Sydney, Norman suspended for eight weeks in 2016 after an incident at Star Casino.

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The playmaker was eventually forced out of the Eels, which is how he made his way to Wollongong, with Norman arriving at the Dragons midway through last year's pre-season.

While not making excuses for being below his best, there were numerous factors that contributed to the club's disappointing year.

Now, however, with the team largely settled and Norman set to complete a full pre-season, the five-eighth is confident 2020 will be a more successful season.

"I'm just going to work harder this year. I came to a new team last year in a bit of a weird way, I didn't want to step on anyone's toes. But I'm here now, everyone's got clarity around it, I'm just working harder.

"I think I will be improved this year, we have a lot more consistency around our spine this year and our team. Being here from day one and having a full pre-season, it feels a lot better.

"I'll back myself to step up without Gareth (Widdop). We've got Benny Hunt there as well, who's a quality player, and Cam McInnes, who's quality as well. It's the spine's job to step up, all of us need to step up.

"I'm looking forward to that, I'm head down, bum up at the moment, getting myself right for a big season."

And if the Dragons don't improve in 2020? Then Norman is also prepared for the criticism.

"I'm in a key position in the team. When your team goes well, you get the pat on the back. When your team goes bad, you get the bag.

"It comes with the territory. After two bad seasons, some of it's going to come back to me as well."

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