Canberra Raiders forward Corey Horsburgh reveals turning point in dealing with emotional NRL highs and lows

The man nicknamed 'Big Red' noted the shift in the last three years in particular, following multiple injury hurdles and a few life lessons.

Renowned for his emotional, heart on the sleeve approach to rugby league, he can deliver show-stopping moments like last week's Sattler-esque tackle on Adam Reynolds in Brisbane which get him into the Origin conversation.

And he can also get involved in a stink, unwilling to back down when challenged, and thrive with a bit of niggle as seen in his two-try effort and Royce Hunt altercation in round three against the Sharks.

But as Raiders coach Ricky Stuart pointed out this season, Horsburgh has better harnessed and controlled his emotions in the last few years.

Horsburgh pointed to an unfortunate foot injury in 2020 as the biggest turning point of his career.

In a game against the Eels the young forward got rolled up awkwardly in a tackle, and in the heat of the moment lashed out at the nearest opposition player.

Then the crowd was in the firing line, with the Queenslander flipping the bird to booing fans as he left the field in tears.

It's a raw point for Horsburgh, but he believes he's come a long way since then.

"What I went through with all the media around my foot and other stuff I've been through, it taught me that I've had to grow up quick and realise that I don't really want to be known for that," Horsburgh told The Canberra Times.

"I've just grown as a person. Obviously, having a kid now I've had to mature faster than the average person.

"But I think everything I've kind of been through leading up to this moment kind of helped me."

Horsburgh doesn't plan on changing the way he plays rugby league, but the 25-year-old certainly feels more in control of how he handles the inevitable flash-points in a highly physical and intense game.

"That's just me. I'm a passionate bloke and I love playing rugby league," Horsburgh said ahead of this weekend's home game against the Dragons.

"The moment that goes away for me, I'm probably not playing NRL.

"That's what I've got to do, and that's my role, being passionate and competing on everything."

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