Corey Horsburgh re-signs himself to becoming a Canberra Raiders leader

The 24-year-old said he's not a young fella any more and this is the year he needs to establish himself in the NRL.

Horsburgh's signed a two-year extension to keep him in Canberra until the end of 2024, with an option for an extra year.

It's a boost for the Green Machine as they look to bounce back from a disappointing loss when they take on the Gold Coast Titans at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.

Horsburgh's struggled with injury the past two years, managing just 16 NRL games during that time.

He's been hit by foot, wrist and shoulder problems, but he's built muscle during a big pre-season and has his sights set on forming part of a front-row rotation along with Josh Papalii and Joe Tapine.

Those injuries saw him balloon out to 115 kilograms last year and he admitted he struggled mentally at times.

"It was pretty tough at the time ... to have three major injuries in a year's span set me back a little bit," Horsburgh said.

"But I'm over all of them now, feeling good, and hopefully I can get some footy under my belt and get some confidence back.

"It did mess with my head and I had a few dark days, but that's what makes you a better person.

"I learnt a lot through those times how to handle hardship so it's helped me in a little way."

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Horsburgh's re-signing comes off the back of the retention of fellow forward Corey Harawira-Naera, as well as the loss of prop Ryan Sutton to the Canterbury Bulldogs for next year.

The Queenslander has been learning off Papalii and Tapine - not only their football craft, but their leadership as well.

He wants to be part of the Raiders' next generation of pack leaders.

Horsburgh also wanted to establish himself on the bench as someone who can come on after Papalii and Tapine and ensure the Green Machine doesn't miss a beat.

He felt they were two of the best props in the NRL and the perfect role models for him.

"I'm 24 now so I'm not really a young fella any more now. I've got to start leading the boys and helping the younger boys come through," Horsburgh said.

"I've learnt off Papa and that so I've become a bit more confident talking to people and hopefully in years to come I can become a leader. That's the goal."

Tapine backed Horsburgh to become exactly that.

It's something Tapine's been working on himself over the past few years, resulting in him leading the Maori All Stars side.

Tapine said they would find out at Friday's captain's run whether winger Nick Cotric (quad) passed his fitness test and would face the Titans.

He said Sebastian Kris, James Schiller and Xavier Savage were all options to come in on the wing if Cotric was forced to sit it out.

"Definitely [Horsburgh can become a leader]. You can see it through his actions. He just needs to work a bit on how he words things, but he's on that path," Tapine said.

"He's really grown. That emotional guy he used to be is fading away and he's starting to mature a bit, which is good.

"I think that's why the club is giving him extra years - he's really grown as a person on and off the field."

NRL ROUND THREE

Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Gold Coast Titans at Canberra Stadium, 7.35pm.

Raiders squad: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Matthew Timoko, 4. Semi Valemei, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Brad Schneider, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Tom Starling, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Corey Harawira-Naera, 13. Elliott Whitehead. Interchange: 14. Matt Frawley, 15. Emre Guler, 16. Adam Elliott, 17. Corey Horsburgh. Reserves: 18. Xavier Savage, 19. Ryan Sutton, 20. Adrian Trevilyan, 21. Sebastian Kris, 22. Sam Williams, 23. Trey Mooney, 24. Harry Rushton.

Titans squad: 1. Jayden Campbell, 2. Phillip Sami, 3. Brian Kelly, 4. Patrick Herbert, 5. Greg Marzhew, 6. Alexander Brimson, 7. Toby Sexton, 8. Moeaki Fotuaika, 9. Erin Clark, 10. Isaac Liu, 11. David Fifita, 12. Beau Fermor, 13. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui. Interchange: 14. Will Smith, 15. Sam Lisone, 16. Jaimin Jolliffe, 17. Kevin Proctor. Reserves: 18. Herman Ese'ese, 19. Esan Marsters, 20. Jarrod Wallace, 21. Sam McIntyre, 22. Jamayne Isaako, 23. Paul Turner, 24. Sosefo Fifita.

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