‘Totally unacceptable’: Stuart slammed for ‘gaslighting’ his own player
NRL great Corey Parker has taken aim at Ricky Stuart, claiming the Raiders coach gaslit Corey Horsburgh for his late-game “brain explosion” against the Knights.
With less than 10 minutes remaining in Canberra’s season-ending 30-24 loss to Newcastle, the fiery front-rower made a tackle on Dane Gagai.
Canberra’s Corey Horsburgh slaps Dane Gagai. Fox League
The veteran Knights centre then got up in frustration after Horsburgh collected him high and grabbed his opponent’s jersey, prompting on-field referee Ashley Klein to initially blow a penalty in the Raiders’ favour.
Kalyn Ponga was seen arguing with Klein to understand why his team had been punished, claiming that Gagai was struck high in the tackle by Horsburgh.
He was then called out for slapping Gagai in the face during the minor scuffle and the decision was changed to a Knights penalty and Horsburgh was binned.
If the penalty had remained in Canberra’s favour, they would have likely kicked a penalty goal to make it 26-all and potentially head into golden point.
Instead, the Knights scored late through Dominic Young when the Raiders were a man down and coach Stuart wasn’t happy about the Horsburgh incident, publicly slamming his own player for the costly actions in Sunday’s defeat.
“It was a f---ing brain explosion,” Stuart told reporters post-match.
“It should’ve been 26-all ... but the brain explosion - we lost the opportunity.
“There was (a similar incident) with Alex Twal. Everybody knows that you aren’t allowed to do that. It is in the rules - has been for many, many years.
“We lost the start of the season because we were self-entitled and undisciplined. We lost the opportunity to still then continue on through to the semis.
“It wasn’t everybody’s fault. There were 16 other blokes out there that put on up a massive effort. It was one shit bloody choice that cost us.
“It is pretty disappointing in the regards that we are not going to make the semis.”
Stuart, one of the Raiders’ all-time greats, has never shied away from letting his feelings be known in post-match press conferences.
But according to Parker, attacking one of his own was “totally unacceptable” and believes Horsburgh shouldn’t have been singled out.
“For him to gaslight Corey Horsburgh as one of his very own, I think is totally unacceptable,” the Broncos great said on SEN’s Coz and Heals.
Ricky Stuart fumes as Raiders season all but ends. Fox League
“Corey has also been told from the club, if he wants to go and look elsewhere, that he could ... these two [Stuart and Horsburgh] have had some history.
“Let me put you into context here. They had 55 missed tackles. Xavier Savage plays on the wing; he made five (tackles), he missed five. Jed Stuart, his son, made four, he missed five. Simi Sasagi missed six. Ata Mariota missed seven tackles, Owen Pattie missed five, the list goes on.
“Here’s the kicker. It’s 24-all, season on the line. Their captain Joey Tapine, sitting right beside Ricky Stuart when he’s teed off and he’s isolated, and he’s gaslit, Corey Horsburgh. Who was the one to give the penalty away for Kalyn Ponga to kick a two-point penalty shot to go up 26-24? It was a Joseph Tapine high shot.
“So, you go back to six minutes to go in that game when all that happened, and he is isolating Corey Horsburgh, where they wouldn’t have got the penalty anyway, because it was a high shot, cause Kalyn Ponga challenged the decision.
“Yes, he got 10 in the bin; there was six minutes remaining, but to single out an individual like that when your team has 55 missed tackles, ill-discipline and other players, including your very own son, has got all this to do with it.
“I think it’s totally unacceptable.”
Tensions had been boiling between Gagai and Horsburgh for most of the second half, with the Newcastle star lucky to not enter the sin bin himself earlier for a dangerous tackle on the former Maroons enforcer.
Dane Gagai tilts Corey Horsburgh into a dangerous position. Fox League
Gagai did manage to get over the tryline shortly after that incident, adding salt to the wounds of the Raiders who were unable to hit back before full-time.
Young sealed the result in the 78th minute, earning a chorus of boos from the home ground who braved the chilly conditions in the nation’s capital.
Ponga and Simi Sasagi traded tries just before half-time, leaving the scores at 18-18. Sasagi then claimed his second to open the scoring for the second half.
Stuart admitted Sasagi should not have been on the field against the Knights, but the star second-rower wanted to play alongside Josh Papali’i in his final games.
Sasagi will be rested against the Sharks next week but will return for Papali’i’s swansong, according to Stuart. The next generation of stars will be given the chance to play first-grade before the 2026 season ends for the Raiders.
“I’ll play some young blokes that I want to look at for next year,” Stuart revealed.
“I’ll also see how reserve grade is going with their position on the table. I don’t want to ruin their opportunity of making the finals.”
