By Wayne Heming

In a strange but inevitable way, a cheeky red-headed kid from Caboolture north of Brisbane was always destined to pull on the Maroon jumper and play for Queensland.

Around 8.05 pm on Wednesday night at Sydney’s Accor Stadium in front of a sea of blue, that kid, Corey Horsburgh, will fulfill his boyhood dream – a dream shared by most Queensland kids kicking a football around in the backyard.

His parents, Rick and Sandy, will have tears in their eyes when their son runs out in Maroon jumper No.17 as FOG #230 – a special and proud moment for the Horsburgh clan who’ll travel thousands of kilometres to share in his big moment.

A prison guard at Brisbane’s Woodford Jail, dad Rick regularly packs up the family campervan and makes the 28-hour round trip from Caboolture to Canberra with mum Sandy to watch Corey play.

It’s been a family ritual since he was a young boy playing for the Caboolture Snakes and a pilgrimage that will see family members from all over Queensland converge on Sydney this week to see him make his Origin debut.

Horsburgh has made it to the top through hard work, determination, and desire.

He is an example to every young child, male or female, aspiring to play Origin that if you are prepared to work as hard as you possibly can, and if you get up every time you get knocked down, then you can achieve your dreams.

It’s been a bumpy and emotional road for Horsburgh who thrives on the physical elements of the game and who does the one percenters.

No matter how tough his struggle to make it as an NRL player got, he never gave up.

That will be his mantra when things get tough on Wednesday night.

Horsburgh headed to the North Queensland Cowboys in 2017 full of hope.

He was part of the club’s National Youth team but a few poor decisions, which resulted in a couple of suspensions, put the skids on his NRL push

“It was a big lesson and it made me grow up pretty quickly,” Horsburgh said when I interviewed him for the first time as a member of Justin Hodge’s Queensland under-20 Origin side in 2018.

“I realised then if I wanted this (professional rugby league career), I had to pull my head in.

“It was a wake-up call.”

Growing up on Brisbane’s northern peninsular, Horsburgh was no different from any young kid running around the family backyard pretending to be one of their heroes.

Some days he’d be Petero Civoniceva for his toughness, tucking the ball under his arm and running straight and hard, other times he’d be Gorden Tallis, for his aggression and ball play.

He gets his flame-red hair and toughness from his dad, Rick who was a handy young footballer himself growing up.

One of Rick’s junior teammates for the Norths Tigers under-18s was a little blonde-haired halfback from Ipswich named Allan Langer.

Apart from playing and coaching rugby league teams, Horsburgh senior didn’t mind climbing into the boxing ring and having a dig as a pro-fighter to help supplement the family income.

He fought as a heavyweight all over Brisbane between 1997 and 2002, using the ring name “Butterbean”.

He won a few fights, but not as many as he lost.

However, his toughness and his willingness to get in the ring and give it his all, were never questioned.

Corey is following in the footsteps of another tough player from the Redcliffe, Petero Civoniceva, who went to battle in 33 Origins and is still regarded as one of the toughest prop forwards to play the game.

“Corey’s dad was one of my first junior rugby league coaches,” Civoniceva told FOGS.

“He was a boxer, a tough man. He was a bit of a local legend in his day in the area.

“Corey’s dad and my Dad (Petero Snr) used to be bouncers at a few of the local establishments over the years so we used to get updates from Corey’s dad on how he was progressing,

“I knew Corey when he was very little. To see the heights he has reached makes you feel very proud of him.

“He’s like his dad, a tough customer.

“He was a real firebrand at a young age. It’s always been a part of him and his makeup.

“It’s been great to see his growth as a footy player from humble beginnings to now forging a career with the Raiders and now Origin, which is the ultimate recognition.”

Civoniceva however did have a few words of advice for Horsburgh.

“As a forward, you are expected to fight fire with fire and as a young bloke, I know Corey will not take a backward step, that’s for sure,” said Civoniceva.

“If they look to try and test him, then those are the moments you live for.

“Corey plays with a lot of passion.

“But he is no good to anyone if he is sitting on the sidelines.”

Horsburgh was in for one of the” best experiences of his life”, according to Civoniceva.

“I remember my Origin debut,” he said with pride resonating in his voice.

“It was everything I dreamt it would be and more.

“For me, it was the speed and physicality and the sheer intensity which was so much tougher than an NRL match.

“The intensity is something that really blows you away in your first game, there’s nothing like wearing a maroon jersey.

“if you are a proud Queenslander you grew up loving the jumper and the players who wore it.”

There will be no prouder man anywhere in Queensland on Wednesday night than Corey Horsburgh.