Corey Horsburgh says the Canberra Raiders can win a premiership.
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He points to their winning streaks as proof they're capable of beating everyone. It's just the Green Machine's lapses that are holding them back.
It's clear Horsburgh's excited for the future, having just penned a two-year contract extension to keep him in Canberra until at least the end of 2027.
The 25-year-old made the Raiders No.13 jersey his own this year until a harsh four-game suspension ended his campaign.
He's emerging as a future leader of a group of young forwards - Hudson Young, Ata Mariota, Emre Guler, Hohepa Puru, Pasami Saulo and Trey Mooney.
The Raiders had multiple hot and cold patches throughout their 2023 season, which came to an end in the elimination final - a game which was arguably their best of the campaign, a 30-28, extra-time loss to Newcastle.
They went on a five-game winning streak after a slow start - a streak they matched in 2022 on their way to the semi-finals.
![Corey Horsburgh. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong Corey Horsburgh. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/reqbnGrLXyZFax2TwSi3Na/576fbd1b-4831-4357-a709-7ff4492fb7ec.jpg/r0_235_3651_2288_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Horsburgh said the top NRL teams managed to maintain those good streaks for the entire season and it's what the Green Machine needed to do.
He was full of confidence they could do exactly that, which would in turn help him hold on to his Queensland State of Origin spot.
"There's promise. These last few years we've had moments of glory," Horsburgh said on SEN's Saturdays in the Capital.
"We've gone on that run mid-year this year, last year we went on the run right at the end.
"We've got to learn how to put it all together for a year and that's what the good teams are doing. They're putting it together all year round.
"When we're putting a good game together we're as good as any squad. We know we can win a comp.
"We just have those lapses and moments where we let the game slip away.
"I don't know how, but we've got to focus on icing a game for 80 minutes and then building week-in, week-out.
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"I think if we do that we'll be a serious threat in this comp. I'm excited for years to come. I think we're building nicely."
Horsburgh felt he was becoming a leader by osmosis - absorbing the knowledge of the senior players around him, from the likes of Josh Papali'i, Joe Tapine and the now-retired Jarrod Croker.
He was starting to help show the younger players the club's culture and how they want to play.
After six seasons in the NRL, he was becoming more confident around the squad and was speaking up when he felt it was needed.
He's also comfortable with the ball-playing-lock role he made his own in the Raiders forward pack this year.
Horsburgh said he'd come through the junior ranks playing the same role.
It's seen him able to either truck the ball up himself, or give it to one of his fellow big boppers in a better position to make the hard run.
"I've been that role most of my life and it's been my first real shot [at it in the NRL]," Horsburgh said.
"As you've seen over the years the lock forward plays with the ball more - the Yeos and the Bradleys - and I just think it just kind of happened when you've got guys like Josh 'Papa' and 'Taps' on your outside you kind of want to tip it to them big boys."
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