Latest news with #WeAreRaiders
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Two plays that show this Raider can answer Origin SOS
Corey Horsburgh is ready to answer Queensland's call and his last fortnight's work for the high-flying Canberra Raiders proves he has the Origin traits and habits Billy Slater demands. Maroons coach Slater conceded Horsburgh was stiff to miss out on selection for the opening game of the series where Queensland were manhandled by NSW in a 18-6 defeat in Brisbane. Needing to save the series, Slater is preparing to name his team for game two in Perth on June 18. Horsburgh will be out to make an impression in his final audition on Sunday when the Raiders host South Sydney. But over the last two weeks, the prop has already shown the traits Slater is looking for to help the Green Machine rise to second on the NRL ladder. In a gritty win over the Warriors in Auckland in round 12, Horsburgh and teammate Morgan Smithies pulled off a try-saving tackle on Marata Niukore in the dying stages. Red and Morgs save the day 👏#WeAreRaiders — Canberra Raiders (@RaidersCanberra) May 25, 2025 And last Sunday, in the Raiders' 26-24 win over the Sydney Roosters, it was Horsburgh who jolted the ball loose from Victor Radley's grasp with the game on the line. Horsburgh (112m) also clocked up more metres than the Roosters' two Origin props - fellow Queenslander Lindsay Collins (47m) and NSW prop Spencer Leniu (42m) - combined. And the 27-year-old, who has just one solitary Queensland appearance to name, is eager to channel those efforts into Origin and help Slater's men square the series. "You can't take it (an omission) to heart but I just focus on winning," Horsburgh told AAP. "We won last week, we won this week and as long as the Raiders are winning... if my phone rings for game two, I'm ready. "I'm playing in a different role to 2023 when I was at lock. (There was) no feedback on why I didn't make it or anything. "I'm just trying to play consistent footy and if the phone rings I'm ready, but if not hopefully they can get the job done over the next two games." Canberra can finish round 14 in top spot with a win over Souths in Horsburgh's 100th NRL game. Josh Papali'i will also surpass Jason Croker and become the most-capped player in Raiders' history in his 319th NRL game. Horsburgh's road to his milestone has been fraught with highs and lows and as recently as last year the prop was on the outer after a 2024 campaign that was wrecked by injury and suspension. "I don't care about mine, Papa's (milestone) is a big one - beating the club record is pretty special," Horsburgh said. "I missed his 300th last year from not playing the best footy so it's one I don't want to miss. "I've had bad injuries but I'm a pretty resilient person who can bounce back from stuff like that. "I identified last year was more my fault and I've trained hard and got my body right to reap the rewards now... hopefully this year we can do something special."
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stuart heaps praise on 'future captain' despite sin bin
Hudson Young is a NSW Blues representative, a future Canberra captain and now the first victim of the NRL's high tackle crackdown. The forward had an eventful evening as the Raiders rolled Cronulla 24-20 on Thursday, scoring two tries and playing a key role in Sebastian Kris's thrilling 79th-minute winner. But until the chaotic finish, it seemed as though his performance would be soured by a sin-binning in the 58th minute for a high shot on Sharks captain Cameron McInnes. Young admitted afterwards that he was surprised when referee Todd Smith had called him over for what seemed an innocuous challenge. "I didn't think anything of it when I made the tackle, I don't think McInnes did either," he said. But the punishment came days after the NRL sent a missive to clubs warning that officials were being urged to send more players to the sin bin for high contact. "I think you can tell which ones are forceful and which ones aren't," Young said. "I had no intent in my tackle and Cameron's not the biggest guy, but I've obviously just got to lower my contacts." With Canberra down to 12 men, the Sharks were soon awarded another penalty for a Joe Tapine high shot and Nicho Hynes converted the resulting kick, giving the visitors a two-point advantage they held until the final 90 seconds. Young's high tackle was one of four penalised during the game and the only one that resulted in a sin-binning. Asked if he understood what constituted a sin bin under the new edict, Canberra coach Ricky Stuart had a one-word answer: "Nup". But Stuart found plenty of words of praise for Young, who notched his 45th and 46th tries from 124 NRL matches - a handy return for a second-rower. That's ✌️ for Hudson!#WeAreRaiders — Canberra Raiders (@RaidersCanberra) April 3, 2025 "It's the best start to a season Hudson's had since I've coached him," Stuart gushed. "And his off-field manner, his leadership is very authentic. He loves rugby league, he loves the Raiders. "He's a guy who could one day take over from Taps (Tapine) as captain if he's around that long. He's wonderful for Taps as a leader." Young, who has played his whole career with Canberra since debuting with them in 2019, welcomed the prospect of captaining the club one day. "It's obviously a goal of mine," he said. "I love the club so much and all the boys here and Canberra as a place. "But Joe's doing a tremendous job and I'm just happy to lead behind him."
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NRL weigh up call on Stuart's post-match comments
The NRL is examining Ricky Stuart's post-match comments following Canberra's loss to Manly, as officials decide whether to add to the coach's $160,000 in career fines. Stuart indicated several frustrations following the Raiders' 40-12 defeat at Brookvale, claiming he no longer understood NRL interpretations around obstructions. The veteran coach also pointed to a lopsided set-restart and penalty count, despite what he claimed to be statistically similar play-the-ball speeds between both sides. NRL CEO Andrew Abdo sent an edict to clubs before the season, warning head office would be stricter on public comments relating to match officials. The email claimed that comments from coaches amplified fan and media attention around decisions, which were often "differences of opinion". Stuart appeared extremely careful with his words in a bid to avoid falling foul of the NRL on Sunday night. He made a point not to explicitly refer to referee Grant Atkins during his press conference, when asked if he was unhappy with the whistleblower's performance. "I'm not allowed to talk about the ref, but I hope Andrew Abdo has an answer for us all," Stuart said. Stuart was one of the coaches who formed a committee with Abdo, head of football Graham Annesley and referee Ashley Kelin about rules over the summer. Part of that discussion centred around interpretations for obstructions, with the NRL putting more onus on defenders making the correct decisions. Stuart said that had seemingly "gone out the window", and he "wasted two days" on the committee, after Canberra had a try pulled back with the score 0-0. The Raiders coach also claimed he saw inconsistencies in the way ruck infringements were awarded across the league. "The six-agains that go against my poor buggers, I see those tackles every week by certain teams (and) nothing is done," Stuart said. AAP understands the NRL were reviewing Stuart's press conference on Monday, with no call made on whether he had breached the rules. Raiders Coach Ricky Stuart and Captain Jamal Fogarty speak to the media after the loss to Manly 📺 Brought to you by Toyota Forklifts#WeAreRaiders — Canberra Raiders (@RaidersCanberra) March 23, 2025 Stuart has accumulated some $160,000 in fines since taking over as NRL coach at the Sydney Roosters in 2002. The last of those came in 2022, when he was fined $25,000 and banned from coaching for a week for personal comments against then-Penrith forward Jaeman Salmon. Meanwhile, it's understood the NRL were OK with referee Wyatt Raymond's decision to penalise Canterbury's Josh Curran for acting "against the true spirit of the game" by personating a match official. Curran was penalised in the Bulldogs' win over Parramatta, after he called Matt Doorey as offside, prompting the Eel to pull out of a tackle. It's believed the rare penalty came because Curran himself was in front of Canterbury's play-the-ball and standing in the defensive line, and therefore should have been out of play.
