A stint in blue and white helped Corey Horsburgh and the fiery prop hopes it helps the Canberra Raiders' finals charge.
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But the red-headed Queenslander says there's nothing like being back in lime green.
Horsburgh came off the bench in the 28-16 win over the New Zealand Warriors for his first Raiders game since round 12.
He had a two-game loan spell with the Canterbury Bulldogs to aid his comeback from a long-term wrist injury.
While he made a couple of errors, Horsburgh ran for 109 metres, made an offload, one tackle bust and 29 tackles in a promising display.
The 23-year-old should be better for the run as the Raiders prepare for their must-win clash against the Sydney Roosters at Mackay on Thursday night.
Win that and they should make the NRL finals.
Horsburgh was hopeful the Bulldogs stint, where fellow forward Ryan James also got valuable minutes, would benefit a Canberra play-off charge.
"It was good. It was an eye opener for what other clubs do and different cultures. I really enjoyed it," he said.
"I'm really thankful the Bulldogs let me do it and get some footy under my belt. It helped me and hopefully we can play a few more games and [it will] help in the long run.
"It's different when you're playing with your best mates and people you put the hard yards in [with].
"It's a different feeling when you're playing with them so it's good to be back."
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Another reason for loving life back in lime green was having the best seats in the house to watch a couple of "freaks".
Horsburgh felt Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad could return to the No.1 jersey against the Roosters, moving Jordan Rapana back to the wing.
The dynamic duo were both excellent in the Warriors win - Nicoll-Klokstad's introduction when Bailey Simonsson (groin) went off sparked Canberra's comeback, while Rapana finished it off with the match-winning try.
"[Rapana]'s a freak isn't he. That's probably six man-of-the-matches in a row. He's a different beast. He's like a fine wine - he's aging well," Horsburgh said.
"He breaks 20 tackles, he's definitely a freak and special to play alongside.
"I would say that would happen [Nicoll-Klokstad returning to fullback].
"'Nuck' just needs some footy - he's been out for a while - but no matter where 'Rap' is, he'll kill it and Nuck's a fullback.
"If he gets a spot he'll kill it whatever happens - they're both freaks.
"I think [Nicoll-Klokstad] got nearly 60 minutes [Friday night]. That's a big step forward for him as well. He should be good for next week."
He was expecting a tough game against the Roosters - regardless of whether they're injury depleted or not.
The Roosters could welcome back both Angus Crichton (suspension) and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (knee), but they lost more troops to injury and suspension - with Joey Manu the most high-profile.
Horsburgh felt that could be something they could use to their advantage if they can manage to hold onto the football - something they struggled with against the Warriors, especially in the first half.
"They've been the benchmark for a few years so it's always a tough game against them," he said.
"It's going to be a big challenge, but if we want to be in the finals we're going to have to roll them next week, so it's going to be a big challenge, but it should be good.
"They haven't been playing much footy so we've just got to get into the back end of the game, hold the ball, play our footy and we should beat them.
"We've just got to worry about ourselves."
AT A GLANCE
Thursday: Canberra Raiders v Sydney Roosters at Mackay, 7.50pm.