BY DAN

Corey Horsburgh wants a release and the Canberra Raiders should not give it to him.

It has been reported by the Sydney Morning Herald that Horsburgh wants out of Canberra. Something about a fresh start, whatever that means. Horsburgh has had so many fits and starts in his career you’d be forgiven for wondering if fresh is something he can do. The Raiders are said to be considering the request.

The Raiders, obviously, should say no. Horsburgh is contracted to the club until the end of 2027, a key part of the post Papa/Taps profile of the middle. He’s not a tackle busting machine like Papa. He’s not the singular talent like Tapine, capable of making the middle metres whether anyone is helping him or not. But he’s a strong ball runner with an enduring motor, excellent defensive effort, good passing skills and a capacity to eat minutes like he does pasta (presumably. Red seems like a carbonara man, unfortunately not sticking to his folicly determined profile). He’s a perfect match to the max power of Trey Mooney (strap yourself in a feel the Gs) and Ata Mariota’s tap-stepping cover band version of Josh Papalii’s greatest hits.

Horsburgh is signed through 2027 and if Canberra are serious about a) competing and b) not having to field questions and requests from every player that has a shithouse season (which Red very much has had) then they’ll politely refuse. There’s obviously a limit to how much you can hold out with these things – after a while player agents start to spread their agitation to other clients and create wider problems (like may have occurred at Newcastle in the past, and seems to be happening at Parramata now) so this is always a judgement call. But all things being equal though Horsburgh represents value for the Milk.

The sunk costs worn over the last five years building Horsburgh from a player at last chance saloon in the NRL into an Origin player are a consideration but can’t be the driving factor of a decision. Nor can the frustration that will come with Horse going to presumably a big club to succeed. Of course Horse will find career form wherever he goes next. He’s entering his prime, a need to prove himself and probably earn a new contract. If he ends up somewhere like the Storm I’d even argue it’s better for him. But the club has to be cold to these things. They won’t determine what he could and would be in Canberra. It also doesn’t doesn’t mean those of us on this side of the fence can’t feel these things.

A key factor that will drive this decision is whether he’s worth fighting for. I think he is but the argument against has merit. In six seasons he’s had three that you can draw a line through because of a mix of fitness, injury and form. Three have been quality and one I’d call elite. Talk about fifty-fifty prospect. Is that enough to stand in his way?

What comes between now and the end of his current deal will determine where he stands in rugby league history. Is the club confident they get the best out of him? We’ve been here at least once before with Horse. Does the club tire of the biannual dance to convince him that actually being fit and professional and not losing your na-na the first time you see a bit of mist are good things? What do you do about a player who admitted they couldn’t be fucked this offseason, so instead of using last season as a launching pad for great things came back unfit, got injured and then spent the rest of the season vacillating between injured, suspended and having a sook about not being picked? Talk about a red rag to Stick’s proverbial bull.

A relevant consideration is also the lack of coverage the Raiders have for the Horse’s role. Morgan Smithies is doing a reasonable facsimile of the Horse’s work. But he doesn’t have the running game or the passing game. He can’t play 70 minutes without negative ramifications like Corey is capable of. Pasami Saulo will hopefully be back next year and he offers the defensive clean up but not the passing. Matty Nicholson’s arrival may allow them to shift Zach Hosking or Hudson Young to a role in the middle but again, it’s not a like for like replacement. The article mentions the club will likely keep Emre Guler for 2025 if they let Horsburgh go. These things are not alike. Leo Thompson is also flagged by the Herald as a potential replacement. He’d be a better swap for Guler. Horse is a different beast.

If there’s a silver lining to this red light it’s that it might (might might. Like really might) mean Hohepa Puru might be more inclined to stay and more likely to play. There’s other youth (the Martin brothers and their non-related cousin for example) who are keen on an opportunity to play, and as yet have managed to stake a claim without any sense of entitlement.

Look I might be Corey Horsburgh’s biggest fan (non Nick Campton edition). So I can understand if your preferred approach is the zag to my zig. But Canberra can’t be throwing away talent like Corey every time they get frustrated. We said the same when Stick nearly gave up on Xavier Savage. We’ll say the same when he manages to frustrate either Chevy Stewart or Ethan Sanders into putting feelings out in two years time. It’s likely this isn’t the first time requests like this have been made by Corey. It won’t be the last. Now’s not time to give up on him.

I’m sorry if there’s non-sequiturs or typos, I wrote this on public transport. Do me a favour and like the page on  Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or share this on social media and I’ll tell you the four words you need to know to be able to beatbox. Don’t hesitate to send us feedback (dan@sportress.org) or comment below if you think we are stupid. Or if we’re not.