It’s one of the better compliments you can get in rugby league – legendary halfback Ricky Stuart says you remind him of himself.
Stuart bestowed that upon cult-hero prop Corey Horsburgh, who on a career-best night jagged his first NRL double, got punched in the face and ran for 67m in a win his Canberra Raiders just had to have.
But his composure to exit his scuffle with Cronulla’s Royce Hunt and score a try with the next play caught the eye of Stuart, who’s seen the emotional red-head react quite differently in the past.
Horsburgh has previously volunteered he’s seen a psychologist to help control his emotions on Stuart’s recommendation, the Canberra coach wanting his impact bench player constantly focused on the job.
“Corey Horsburgh is a very emotional kid, I’m the same type of personality and I understand Corey really well,” Stuart said after his side’s 24-20 win against Cronulla.
“It can let you down on the field, I know it let me down on the field over the years, and Corey’s working really hard at controlling his emotions.
“He’s maturing and developing into a mature player that understands what emotions can do to his game.
“But they can help you too … (his teammates) love playing with him. He’s a massive help for us.”
(Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
Horsburgh, though, said he wasn’t seeing red after his altercation with Hunt, perhaps a sign he’s growing further into his role as dependable teammate.
“I love that, that’s how I like to play my footy, aggressive and with tempers sometimes getting the better of you,” he said.
“It’s just two front-rowers going at it. It was good fun and nothing really in it … it’s just rugby league.
“It comes with age, since my first year I’m getting better.
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“I move on from things a lot quicker, when I was a young fella I’d dwell, if I made an error I’d be doing something stupid.”
Horsburgh two tries doubled his tally from 62 previous career games in one night, again changing the game off the bench when his Raiders needed a spark.
“I feel like I’m getting my feet again, I’ve just got to pray for no injuries and I’m happy with how I’m going,” he said. “That second half I was buggered and the only carry I had was when I scored that try.
“It was a grind of a game and that’s the way Canberra likes to play.”
Cronulla expect superstar halfback Nicho Hynes will be fit for Sunday’s trip to St George Illawarra as the Sharks look to steady their NRL campaign.
The loss in Canberra left Cronulla 1-2 and their only win certainly didn’t come easily, needing to come from behind on three separate occasions to beat Parramatta in round two.
Coach Craig Fitzgibbon said discipline had let his side down in the Canberra loss, highlighted by Royce Hunt’s decision to throw a punch at Corey Horsburgh after the Raider prop held him following a scrum and pushed him over.
Hunt was sin-binned for the punch, but Fitzgibbon said it wasn’t the only was his side hadn’t stuck to the script.
“There’s some discipline in knowing our roles, simply executing your role. That was not disciplined enough there, and when we got it wrong they caught us,” he said.
“We’re getting ourselves into some good games, probably another good game to watch for neutrals.
“I’m disappointed we didn’t go on with it or make the most of our opportunities there, our discipline was obviously crucial in the end.
“I liked the way we responded, we were a bit behind the eight ball and we definitely went down swinging … we’re fighting hard, we’re swinging, but we’ve got to tune our footy up a little bit.”
Stand-in half Braydon Trindall, 23, has come up with a try and four assists in his fill-in role, leaving Fitzgibbon considering giving him a bench utility role upon Hynes’ imminent return. But that would be dependent on his fitness, hurting his ankle in the loss.
“Braydon’s done exceptionally, that’s why we re-signed him, we believe in him for the future,” Fitzgibbon said.
“How long can a young half stay up at that level is another debate but he’ll be part of our team whether it’s as a utility or he might not, we’ll get to the team selections later in the week but we have faith in him.”
© AAP
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