Proud dad of Maroons rookie Corey Horsburgh wins best dressed in Origin game 3 in amazing jersey
The proud father of Queensland’s Corey Horsburgh stood out in the third game of this year’s State of Origin series for all the right reasons, as he wore a t-shirt with his son’s face printed on it.
Rick Horsburgh, who played his youth league in Queensland through the under-18s alongside the great Alfie Langer, broke down in tears after learning his Raiders firebrand son would be making his State of Origin debut.
So it was fitting that he wore something appropriate to proudly watch the redheaded enforcer don a Maroons jersey for the first time and run towards Accor Stadium.
On Wednesday night, Rick was seen before the game giving the camera a thumbs up while wearing the soulful jersey.
It will be a big occasion for the Horsburgh family, with a large contingent heading to the New South Wales capital to support rowdy striker Maroons.
It was clear who the proud father of Queensland’s Corey Horsburgh was rooting for
Corey Horsburgh made his debut for the Maroons on Wednesday night at Accor Stadium
“It’s going to be a lot like my NRL debut,” Corey said earlier in the week.
“I’ll look up in the stands and I’ll see dad and he’ll be crying.”
And so it has always been at the Horsburgh home, a house filled with framed jerseys and memorabilia from Corey’s youth sports days.
Corey’s talents have spanned across all three codes – he was a star not only in the league, but also in Australian rules and rugby union growing up.
“We always worked on the ‘one in, all in’ adage, so if you were up against the Horsburghs, you weren’t up against one. You faced them all,” Corey’s mother Sandy told NRL.com.
“We were always very sports oriented and on the weekends we packed up the van to get to everyone’s games and we were together the whole time.
‘So, they had to love or hate each other all the time. There was plenty of both.
Firebrand’s prop man said he’ll look up into the stands when he runs out and see his father crying.
It will be a great occasion for the Horsburgh family, who love to watch their son play.
Rick Horsburgh broke down in tears when he heard his son Corey was selected on the wing
‘I do a mix of everything to get there. I took buses, trains, planes, it just depends on the prices really,” Rick told NRL.com.
“Sometimes I fly to Sydney and bus or train to Canberra, whatever we can afford.
‘I have driven Wagga Wagga and Moruya, all the games in the country. We have a motorhome, so we sleep in it, watch him play soccer, and drive home.
I have already booked flights for their next game in New Zealand and Newcastle the following week. I have covered most of their games by the end of the year.
Despite Queenslanders comprehensively ending the series in Brisbane winning the second game 32-6, every Queenslander wants a clean sweep.
While the Maroons enjoyed unprecedented dominance under former manager Mal Meninga, the last time Queensland enjoyed a clean series was in 2010.
The inclusion of Horsburgh replacing Tommy Flegler [foot]It comes at the same time that Gold Coast Titan AJ Brimson will return to the Queensland fold in the No.1 jumper following the suspension of Reece Walsh.
