Origin legend Billy Moore has backed Raiders star Corey Horsburgh to play for the Maroons and explained why some players are picked for Queensland that NSW would never consider.
Origin mentality is a buzz phrase used by Queensland to explain why some players make the step up for the Maroons despite other players being better than them at club level.
Horsburgh is in Queensland coach Billy Slater’s sights and Moore believes it is only a matter of time before the Canberra enforcer debuts for the Maroons.
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“I love him, I think he is a special player,” Moore said.
“I saw him coming through the pipeline about 18 months ago and you could just see something about him.
“He has got Origin written all over him. He is tough. He is resilient and he’s aggressive. He learns.
“But he is still at the beginning and he has a bit of a battle to play Origin because there is actually a logjam.
“Queensland actually have a plethora of good middles at the moment, but this kid has something special.”
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Paul Kent asked Moore why some players kill it for Queensland that would never be on the Blues’ radar if they played for NSW.
“What is the difference between a Queensland player and a NSW player and why Corey Horsburgh is a consideration now for Billy Slater, but probably wouldn’t be for Brad Fittler if he was a NSW player,” Kent asked.
“He is in consideration for Queensland because he believes,” Moore replied.
“You can just see he wants to go and represent Queensland. I reckon it would be his dream.
“I played against his dad and his dad smashed me one day when I came out of retirement.
“For Queensland it is about believing in who has come before you. It is about buying in. It is about the passion and the pride and all those cliches.
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“But it is about who you represent. The most important thing for Queensland is this is your chance on the big stage to show yourself.
“If you put Corey Horsburgh in a Queensland jersey I guarantee you he will not let you down.
“But I don’t think he is going to make it this year. He is a work in progress because Queensland have such a logjam of good players.
“But it will come for him and when it does he will believe and he will want to show everybody what he can do for his family and the whole of Queensland.”
Former Blues enforcer Mark Carroll revealed he has been working with Horsburgh and backed him to make the step up to Origin.
“Obviously he has the right hair colour for Queensland,” Carroll said.
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“But I have been lucky enough to work with Corey a little bit this year.
“I spoke to Ricky Stuart at the start of this year to see if I could get my hands on him and just play between his ears.
“I guarantee he is a great listener and I’m so proud of what he has been doing the last couple of weeks.”
Carroll believes Horsburgh has simplified his game and has got back to what works best for him in 2023.
“Is that the key to his improvement in that he has just managed to control the fire?” Dan Ginnane asked.
“Correct, it is a simple game mate,” Carroll said.
“Just worry about your own game, don’t miss tackles, run hard and hurt people when you tackle.”
