Ryan Sutton struggles to find a better way to sum up rising Canberra Raiders forward Corey Horsburgh than simply calling him a "redhead".
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On the surface it makes sense. The first thing most people notice about the 21-year-old Raiders forward is his red hair.
But that's not what Sutton means. He's talking more red with rage.
Horsburgh's newfound ability to harness the aggression - which Canberra coach Ricky Stuart worked hard to instil - is behind his emergence as one of the club's most promising youngsters.
Stuart said "it's important for our season that he is at his best at the end of the season" when he gave Horsburgh a stint in reserve grade to manage his load in April.
The assessment seems to be on the mark as the Raiders prepare to face the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.
"He has come on in leaps and bounds. He's a redhead, and I didn't mean that [because of his hair], I mean he is genuinely a redhead," Sutton said.
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"It's just the little things he does off the ball that people don't see that are really good, the little one per centers. He's one of those players you want to play with.
"Everyone is in the same. You play a physical sport so you're going to get angry. I've been there, I think everyone has been there where you do lose your head.
"It's about how you cope with it in the game, he is doing it really well. You can see if the little things get to him, he has a little second to himself and he gets on with the next job.
"That's exactly what you want from a player."
Horsburgh ran for 167 metres - second only to Raiders five-eighth Jack Wighton - from 18 carries in a 49-minute stint against the Storm.
It was just the spark Stuart was searching for from his bench after the Raiders were forced to play a quarter of the game with 12 man following two sin-bins.
Horsburgh's finest outing in lime green certainly didn't go unnoticed by his Raiders teammate Dunamis Lui.
"We have our little groups and we said 'it's our bench against their bench'," Lui said.
"I thought Sutto, Corey and even Bailey [Simonsson], they all turned up and brought a lot of energy.
"Corey had a blinder, he got my three points this week. Hopefully we can carry it on into the next three games."
The Raiders are now bracing for a third consecutive top four clash when they host Manly in front of a bumper crowd which has Canberra destined to post their best average attendance in 24 years.
Crowd figures have been on the up for Canberra this season and their recent showings against the competition heavyweights mean there will be no shortage of true believers in the stands.
"Even last week against the [Sydney] Roosters, we knew we could have won that game. We were probably one or two passes away from winning that game," Lui said.
"It was just a matter of proving to everyone we can face the top teams and win those games.
"To win that game [against Melbourne], hopefully we proved to everyone we're real contenders and we're coming.
"Whoever wins this game pretty much locks up a top four spot, so the more people we get down there the better for us."
NRL ROUND 23
Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm. Tickets from Ticketek.