BY DAN

Just a note to say what you might have already heard: Corey Horsburgh will be seeing out his deal with the Milk. This was first reported by the Daily Telegraph.

As we’ve said before this is undoubtedly a good thing for the Raiders. They need his skills now, and I don’t mean his kicking ability. His tackling ability is a huge part of Canberra’s ability to tie up the middle, as demonstrated by their improved resilience since his return to first grade. His passing is critical to their abiiity to get wide, as demonstrated by him playing a hand in nearly all their best movements against the Dragons. His running, though underrated, utilises agility to change the point of attack, something only Joe Tapine does better for Canberra.

At his best he does all these things for big minutes, and he does them better than the alternatives at the club. It’s been so great to see him share the end of games with Papa and Taps, a three-headed monster capability of matching oppositions units for both agility and power. That’s a winning middle, and allows them to rotate Ata, Trey and Smithies (or Zak Hosking, Matty Nichsolson, or Pasami Saulo) through the middle of the game. The output of these young players becomes a bonus rather than the necessity it had been.

There remains the question of how to get the best out of him. Stuart has been clear that he reserves the right to tell Corey what he needs to hear. Is it sustainable for Red to need this so regularly? My hope is that this is the last time this brinkmanship is needed. Corey is transitioning from young player to elder statesman. Now is the time for him to take responsibility for his actions. He won’t be the first player to go through such a maturation – Josh Papalii and Joe Tapine often talk about how they needed to hear similar things before they found their best. I like to think Stuart only does this to those he thinks can be great. Taps and Papa have unquestionably been that. Maybe Corey can be too.

It’s an optimistic read. It’s still possible that we’ll be back here at the end of next season. It could be the driving reason for him staying isn’t so much succeeding in Canberra but rather not wanting to join a three time wooden-spooner. When other suitors come knocking he may choose to put his hand up again. We can only hope that’s not the case and that he and Stuart are able to work together for a long time.

I can’t help but think that Horse staying will make the club more comfortable with letting Emre Guler. Two players that had been part of the same generation of middles, spent so much time playing together, finally split apart. Guler has requested a compassionate release. If he gets it I wish him nothing but the best.

But more than immediately impact of keeping Horse for now, this is a big win for Canberra’s future. You can’t build a youth movement but you still have to sprinkle in proven performers. I don’t expect Horsburgh to go from emerging star to grizzled vet in an offseason (but how handsome would he look with a little bit of grey sprinkled in? I digress). Canberra need Corey to be the lead middle when Taps and Papa are put out to stud.

This may be the start of that maturation. Recognising that the grass isn’t greener, being willing to work through conflict rather than run from it, to take accountability for your parts in issues. These are all hallmarks of maturity that the Raiders could benefit from, for today and the future.

If you haven’t already like the page on Facebook, follow me, Rob, or Vivon Twitter, or share this on social media and I walk into hell with you. Don’t hesitate to send us feedback (dan@sportress.org) or comment below if you think we are stupid. Or if we’re not. Feature image courtesy of NRL.com