A foot injury could keep Corey Horsburgh sidelined for the Canberra Raiders' homecoming as the club's spiritual leader vows to help him harness his emotion.
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Horsburgh is awaiting scan results on his injured foot ahead of the Raiders' clash with St George Illawarra at Canberra Stadium on Friday.
The 22-year-old forward was left on crutches following a fiery clash with Parramatta last weekend, during which he came from the field in a visibly emotional state and gave fans the middle finger.
Raiders veteran Sia Soliola says Horsburgh's undeniable passion makes him the player he is but concedes the emerging star needs to find a balance so emotion doesn't get the better of him.
"It's something he is working on. It's pretty hard to tell him at the time because a lot of passionate players like that tend to deal with things a little bit differently at the time," Soliola said.
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"He plays the game hard, he's a very proud guy and I can't argue with that. He just loves the game, he loves to play the game in a certain way. It's just one of those ones where you need to find a balance.
"It's not something that's new, it's something that comes out in the love of footy. It's just the way it is. He does things differently."
Raiders winger Jordan Rapana will be free to face the Dragons after receiving a fine - $550 for an early plea, $750 for fighting the charge and losing, for a grade one careless high tackle on Eels forward Daniel Alvaro.
A return to Canberra Stadium for the first time since round one looms as a major boost for the Raiders, who can now brush aside the burden of weekly game day travel.
"In some ways it'll be a little bit different and it will actually be quite new," Soliola said.
"It will be nice not to jump on a bus or a plane to play a game. It will be quite nice to actually be at home and get a bit of structure throughout our game day."
NRL ROUND EIGHT
Friday: Canberra Raiders v St George Illawarra Dragons at Canberra Stadium, 6pm.