Maroons debutant Corey Horsburgh’s proud dad wins best dressed award at Origin game three with his amazing T-shirt
Corey Horsburgh’s proud father’s T-shirt steals the show Horsburgh to debut for Maroons Rick Horsburgh was devastated when son was selected
The proud father of Queensland’s Corey Horsburgh stuck out game three 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 alongside the great Alfie Langer through his junior league under-18s in Queensland, broke down in tears when he learned his Raiders firebrand son would make his State of Origin debut.
So it was fitting that he proudly wore something befitting the red-headed enforcer to pull on a maroon jersey for the first time and run into Acre Stadium.
On Wednesday night, Rick was seen giving the cameras a thumbs-up while wearing a heartwarming top before the game.
It will be a huge occasion for the Horsburgh family, with a huge contingent heading to the New South Wales capital to support the Maroons forward.
It was clear who the proud father of Queensland’s Corey Horsburgh was supporting
Corey Horsburgh made his debut for the Maroons at Acre Stadium on Wednesday night
‘It will feel a lot like my NRL debut,’ Corey said earlier in the week.
‘I’ll look in the stands and I’ll see dad and he’s crying.’
And, that’s how it’s always been in the Horsburgh family, a house full of framed jerseys and memorabilia from Corey’s youthful sporting days.
Corey’s talents spanned all three codes: growing up he starred not only in league, but also in Aussie rules and rugby union.
‘We’ve always worked on the adage ‘one in, all in’ so if you fight Horsburgh you haven’t taken one. You’ve taken them all,’ Corey’s mother Sandy told NRL.com.
‘We were always very sports oriented and at the weekend we would pack up the van to go to everyone’s games and be together all the time.
‘So, you always had to love or hate each other. There was a lot of both.’
The firebrand prop said that when he ran out, he would look into the stands and see his father crying.
It will be a huge occasion for the Horsburgh family who love watching their son play
Rick Horsburgh broke down in tears when he heard his son Corey had been selected for the team
‘I mix everything to get there. I’ve taken buses, trains, planes, it really depends on the price,’ Rick told NRL.com.
‘Sometimes I fly to Sydney and go to Canberra by bus or train, whatever we can afford.
‘I drove to Wagga Wagga and Morua, all over the country. We got a camper van so we sleep in it, watch him play footy and drive home.
‘I’ve already booked flights to New Zealand and Newcastle next week for their next match. I covered most of his games for the rest of the year.
Although Queensland wrapped up the series comprehensively by winning the second game 32-6 in Brisbane, Queenslanders all want a clean sweep.
While the Maroons enjoyed unprecedented dominance under former coach Mal Meninga, the last time Queensland enjoyed a series clean sweep was in 2010.
Horsburgh’s inclusion in place of Tommy Feller [foot]At the same time Gold Coast titan AJ Brimson will return to Queensland’s number one jumper following Reece Walsh’s suspension.