What 'Big Red' Raider Corey Horsburgh said to cop a swing from ex-teammate Royce Hunt in win over Cronulla Sharks

So what did Horsburgh say to cop a swing from ex-teammate Royce Hunt?

It was fitting that Horsburgh had a hot dog named after him at Canberra Stadium because he was on fire.

Shortly before scoring his second try of the night Horsburgh got into a push and shove with Hunt in the back of play. Jack Wighton got in between the pair to break it up as Hunt invited Horsburgh to square-up, but the Shark lost his cool and threw a punch.

Horsburgh ducked the attempt and after his try was scored in the ensuing play, Hunt's swing didn't go unpunished.

"He was holding me so I pushed him over," Hunt protested when brought to referee Ashley Klein to explain himself.

"You've gone and struck him and taken everything out of our hands, so you'll go in the bin for striking," Klein replied without flinching.

Horsburgh later revealed what was said between he and Hunt.

"It was just a bit of good banter," he told Fox Sports. "He slapped me in the face, then I pushed him over and he gave me one and I called him a few mean words."

Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon argued post-game that the referee may have been a bit harsh in sin-binning Hunt who he said was being held by Horsburgh before the melee.

Horsburgh played some NSW Cup games with Hunt when the two were at the club together, but said there was nothing personal about the exchange.

"We were just two front-rowers going at it," he told The Canberra Times. "I love that. I play my footy aggressive and sometimes it can get the better of you, but that was good fun."

Starting hooker Danny Levi is set to miss at least eight weeks with a broken jaw after he was rocked in the opening two minutes against the Sharks, joining Nick Cotric in the injury ward who suffered a hamstring injury that'll bench him for four to six weeks.

Levi was caught up in a tackle attempt on Braden Hamlin-Uele, causing him to lose a tooth. Levi returned to the bench sucking on the green whistle and still bleeding from his jaw, but before half-time he went to hospital for further treatment.

With Levi forced to the sideline, that threw Tom Starling into the deep end for big minutes, but the pint-sized rake seized the moment, providing two try assists to Corey Horsburgh and making a game-high 55 tackles.

Zac Woolford is expected to get a call-up by coach Ricky Stuart while Levi is sidelined.

"Tommy is a fit little fella, and we're all prepared for whatever happens. It sucks for Danny but Tommy went on and did his job," Horsburgh said of the hookers.

Sadly, Raiders staff were also unable to find Levi's missing tooth on the field.

Albert Hopoate might be Jordan Rapana's replacement while the veteran is suspended, but the 22-year-old has sure got starting quality, and that was on show against Cronulla, tallying a game-high 185 total run metres and four tackle breaks.

Hopoate made a great try-saver in the corner to stop the Sharks inside the first few minutes and at the other end he collected a beauty of a cut-out pass by Wighton before tumbling over the sideline to score.

Hopoate also got the Raiders out of jail defending a Briton Nikora kick, playing calmly under pressure to charge out of goal and deny Cronulla a drop-out.

Canberra's fifth-tackle options in their opening two games have frustrated some Raiders fans, but get rid of the sticky humidity of North Queensland and the bathtub of Redcliffe, and they looked far more confident at home.

Wighton very nearly pulled off a ballsy chip-and-chase a minute before half-time only to be dudded by a bad bounce, winger James Schiller nearly repeated his solo kick-chase try from last season, and halfback Jamal Fogarty found his range with two forced drop-outs from kicks.

Fogarty also improved his conversion rate to an impressive 85.7 percent for the season - a career-high - going four from four.

Raiders five-eighth jack Wighton has an option in his favour for the 2024 season for the final season of his latest four-year deal.

Wighton will meet with advisor Matt Rose midweek to discuss whether he'll take it up, look to negotiate an upgraded deal, or go to market.

Raiders fans will be desperate for their attacking talisman to lock himself in for the 2024 campaign.

The NSW and Australia representative already has Dally M and Clive Churchill medals under his belt, and has become the Raiders' most important player since making the shift from fullback to five-eighth.

Wighton's a massive fan of the Canberra lifestyle and has said in the past he wanted to be a one-club player for the Green Machine.

The Raiders embraced NRL Multicultural Round in their first home game of the year.

Some players ran on to the Viking Clap with flags of nations representing their heritage, and at half-time the crowd were treated to a show by Samoan performers, as other cultural groups did a lap of honour around Canberra Stadium, where Raiders legend Sia Soliola and injured winger Nick Cotric joined in.

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