Raiders coach swings axe as hot-headed star faces brutal reality
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Corey Horsburgh’s time at Canberra appears to be up, after his rocky relationship with coach Ricky Stuart reached boiling point last weekend and saw him axed from the 22-man squad for the side’s clash against the Sharks.
The enigmatic front-rower has endured a rollercoaster tenure with the Raiders since bursting onto the scene seven years ago, playing 22 matches in his rookie season and featuring in the side’s grand final loss to the Sydney Roosters.
Corey Horsburgh’s career at the Raiders is likely over. Getty Images
Horsburgh clearly possessed the talent and aggression to become one of the game’s elite big men, but has failed to find consistency and struggled to tiptoe the delicate line between being a game-changing enforcer and letting his emotions become a detriment – either to himself or to his Raiders teammates.
Six years ago, Horsburgh was taken from the field with an injury and flipped the bird towards the crowd at Parramatta. It was the first glimpse into a player who wears his heart on his sleeve, but wasn’t able to contain his emotions.
He has had his fair share of ugly on-field moments since then, both in first grade and at NSW Cup level, earning him stints on the sideline through suspension.
Two years ago, Horsburgh was sent off for headbutting Warriors young gun Jacob Laban in reserve grade, sparking an all-in brawl between the teams.
At the end of the 2024 season, the prop was on the outer with the Green Machine and was struggling to get a look-in with the NRL lineup.
Horsburgh and Stuart both spoke about their relationship being on thin-ice at that time, but they were able to patch things up last year and the former Queensland representative played 25 games in a minor premiership-winning Raiders team.
This season things appeared to be going fine, but the 28-year-old’s latest brain snap – or a “f-----g brain explosion” as Stuart dubbed it – was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back and will end Horsburgh’s time in Canberra.
With a game against Newcastle and their slim finals hopes on the line, Horsburgh was sin binned for slapping Dane Gagai in a controversial moment.
Gagai had gotten under Horsburgh’s skin – a recurring theme in his career – and it worked, getting him to react accordingly and dismissed for 10 minutes.
While he was off the field, the Knights sealed the result and Horsburgh’s actions drew the ire of his coach, who publicly put the loss on his shoulders.
Stuart also did so privately according to The Sydney Morning Herald, ripping into his own player in the sheds. Horsburgh, unsurprisingly, fired back at the coach.
Whether the public press conference spray from a frustrated Stuart was valid or not, it was proof that Horsburgh’s future at the Raiders is untenable and that was only cemented when Stuart’s squad for the round 24 match was announced.
He has a contract with the club for next season worth an estimated $600,000 and the Raiders would likely need to foot some off the bill to move him on.
But if the comments and reaction from Stuart are anything to go by, Canberra will have no problem shipping Horsburgh to another club, even if it costs them.
Ricky Stuart and Corey Horsburgh have had an up-and-down relationship. Getty Images
The issue for the ex-Maroons enforcer is the fact his on-field issues with handling aggression isn’t exactly a secret, so it would be a big risk to sign him.
Brisbane are on the lookout for some extra starch in the middle and have been heavily linked with Horsburgh, who originally hails from Queensland.
With their best player, Payne Haas, leaving the club at season’s end and veteran Mitch Barnett replacing him, it’s not a necessity for the Broncos to chase hard for Horsburgh, especially with the emergence of Xavier Willison and Vaa Semu.
But if under-fire coach Michael Maguire wanted to take a punt on Horsburgh and give him a last-chance career lifeline, instilling a bit more discipline into him, that wouldn’t come as a major shock either – especially with their fall from the 2025 premiership to likely finishing in the bottom-four this season.
The other Queensland-based clubs – Gold Coast, North Queensland and the Dolphins – could also have a crack at Horsburgh, but none of them are exactly short on quality middle forwards and appear less likely to show interest.
The other logical landing spot for Horsburgh would be the Perth Bears, who are only getting more desperate by the week to attract quality players.
Manly could be a sneaky outside chance of looking at Horsburgh, given they are short on quality front-rowers heading into the 2027 season.
There’s still good football left in Horsburgh if he can leave the hotheadedness to the side and focus on running hard and tackling hard for his team – but that remains a big “if” after recent events shut the door on his Raiders future.
