'Big softy' Corey Horsburgh riding NRL post-baby bump with Canberra Raiders

Few Raiders fans would have known about Horsburgh's dad status until he posted an image of himself and his daughter Alina on social media following their trial in Moruya.

The thing is, he didn't know about her until mid-season last year either.

But those details are irrelevant now. He's embraced his newfound role, and wants to be as present as he can in his 15-month-old daughter's life while sharing custody with her mum, who he is no longer in a relationship with.

"It's been good. I realise I'm a big softy," Horsburgh told The Canberra Times. "I thought I'd be a strict parent but I'm pretty soft.

"She was born the day after Christmas in 2021 and she was two months premature, but she's going good now.

"Last year it was all pretty new to me and I was still kind of getting my head around it.

"I didn't know until like six months into it, so it was a bit of a shock. But I'm used to fatherhood now."

Horsburgh has been able to lean on some of his Raiders teammates for parenting advice too, with more than a few expecting new additions to their families.

"I talked to a few of the older boys obviously and they've helped," he said. "She's getting onto the walking and talking and all that jazz now, so it's exciting," Horsburgh added.

"I'm not with the mother, so it's pretty hard. I can't do stuff with her when it's not my time but hopefully one day I'll get a bit more custody and be able to bring her around to training.

"At the trial she did watch me play. Hopefully my mum and dad come down and bring her to a few games too, that'd be nice."

The post-baby bump up in performance from male athletes is a renowned phenomenon in world sport.

Maybe it's that they're playing for something bigger than themselves, or the grind of parenthood stretching you to limits you never knew possible, but something about having children tends to flick a switch and help male athletes find a new gear.

That certainly seems to be the case for Horsburgh, after several injury hurdles in his short career.

The 2022 NRL season was his best yet and he's continued that momentum so far this year.

Even with a nasty bout of pneumonia last season, he beat his career-high records from 2019.

Not since that magical run to the grand final has Horsburgh played 22 games and notched over 800 post-contact metres, but he did it in their last campaign before the Raiders' semi-final exit.

By the numbers his improvement since his rookie season was out of sight.

In 2019 he only had nine tackle breaks, while last season he had 35. Four years ago he had 26 offloads, and in 2022 he had 30, and added his second career try as well.

This off-season he had shoulder surgery to fix a lingering issue and after shedding some excess kilograms post-op by cutting down on chocolate, the 25-year-old is confident he can continue his upwards trajectory.

Surrounded by some of the best props in the world in Josh Papalii and Mal Meninga medallist Joe Tapine has accelerated Horsburgh's development at Raiders HQ.

He re-signed with the club last year to remain in green until at least the end of the 2025 NRL season, and is a key figure in the next generation of forwards chasing an end to the Canberra Raiders' premiership drought.

Whether he's in the front-row or lock, or utilised off the bench, Horsburgh is encouraged to keep it simple by coach Ricky Stuart to find consistency and perform each week.

"He just wants me to play my game," Horsburgh said. "That's when I'm putting my best foot forward - when I'm not worrying about what other people think of me.

"I'm just focusing on my role running and tackling hard."

While the Raiders have not had an ideal start with two defeats, Horsburgh knows the team love embracing the underdog tag and trusts they'll rise above any negative noise.

"We get overlooked every year and we're used to that," he said. "We know the style of footy we can play and the team we can be.

"It's enough talking, we've got to go out and prove it this year. The goal is top-four, shake up the competition and hopefully win one."

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