Canberra Raiders star Corey Horsburgh appears unable to use the Prime Minster's 13 game to reduce his four-game ban because he wasn't named in the Australian team.
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That's despite other NRL players, like South Sydney gun Latrell Mitchell, able to use other representative games to reduce their suspensions in the past.
There were reports North Queensland bad boy Valentine Holmes could use the PM's game to reduce any suspension he could get from his white powder scandal.
The Raiders officially announced Horsburgh had re-signed until the end of 2027 on Wednesday after The Canberra Times revealed the deal had been finalised last week.
He's now locked in with the Green Machine for the same amount of time as boom back-rower Hudson Young.
Horsburgh's currently serving a four-game ban for a shoulder charge, of which he's served two games so far.
The 25-year-old would've been a certainty for Mal Meninga's PM's 13 to face Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby on Saturday if he hadn't been suspended.
![Raiders star Corey Horsburgh has re-signed until the end of 2027. Picture by Keegan Carroll Raiders star Corey Horsburgh has re-signed until the end of 2027. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/reqbnGrLXyZFax2TwSi3Na/885b6119-b73e-4e0f-bc61-a9583d9db331.jpg/r0_274_5352_3295_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
But the Raiders believed because he wasn't named in the team alongside Canberra teammates Young and Emre Guler he wouldn't be able to use it to start his 2024 season a week earlier.
Horsburgh would've also been an outside chance for the Kangaroos' Tests in the Pacific Championships next month, which could see the rest of his suspension wiped out before round one next year.
But the NRL allowed Mitchell to use last year's NRL All Star's game to wipe off one game from his six-game ban despite not being named in the Indigenous All Star's team.
The Sydney Roosters were looking to use the Pacific Championships to decrease New Zealand prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves' seven match hiatus and allow him to play in their season opener in Las Vegas.
It's unclear whether Raiders and Kiwis centre Sebastian Kris will also be able to use the Tests to reduce his five-game suspension, of which he's served one, for a spear tackle.
The Canberra Times called the NRL to seek clarification around the rules, but didn't get a response.
"I'm really happy to be remaining in Canberra and re-signing with the Raiders, the club that has given me the opportunity to play NRL and this year Origin," Horsburgh said.
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"I want to keep building and improving my game and I'm really excited about staying with the Raiders and continuing to become a better player and help this club achieve success."
Raiders recruitment boss Joel Carbone expected Horsburgh to continue to improve after taking his game to another level this year after making his State of Origin debut for Queensland.
"Corey has continued to improve his game and this season he's been able to take his game to the next level and become an Origin player," Carbone said.
"Having Corey re-sign with the club long-term allows us to continue to create some stability and consistency in our forward pack and he will continue to be a big part of the team into the future.
"Corey has developed into a representative player here at the Canberra Raiders and we know he still has a lot of improvement in his game.
"We expect to see the best of his talent over the next four years."
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