Add CategoryJOHNATHAN Thurston has done it again.
Not even monsoonal rain could dampen Thurston’s testimonial at Suncorp Stadium last night as the Cowboys wizard conjured more magic moments.
It was dubbed A Night with Cam and JT and it was Thurston who delivered the crowd of about 25,000 what they wanted to see.
Thurston sat on the sidelines with a busted shoulder as Melbourne thumped North Queensland 34-6 in the 2017 grand final and last night was the first time the teams had met since the premiership decider.
And boy did he make his presence felt.
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First it was the trademark show-n-go to give the Cowboys a half-time lead.
But it was the final play of the game which proved Thurston is going to do all he can to make sure his farewell season is one to remember.
With the Cowboys trailing 14-12, Thurston called for the ball and delivered a pinpoint banana kick for winger Kyle Feldt to bag his third try of the night with just 18 seconds left on the clock.
The Cowboys walked away 16-14 winners in what was essentially a trial match but it proved Thurston is back and ready to lead North Queensland’s premiership charge.
“I got lucky there,” Thurston said.
“I’m a little bit emotional when I start thinking about (playing my last games at Suncorp). Some of my best memories in footy have been on this field.
“It’s coming to an end but I’ve got a lot of great memories.
“The shoulder is pretty good. I’ve come through unscathed. I got trampled a few times.”
The Storm should have known what was coming when Thurston demanded the ball 10m out from Melbourne’s line with just a minute left in the first half and the Cowboys trailing 4-nil.
When Storm prop Christian Welch slipped rushing up, Thurston slipped past rookie Harry Grant and reached over the line.
Thurston’s 299-game NRL career has been littered with memorable moments, not to mention his 37 Origins and 38 Test matches.
And at 34, in his return from a shoulder reconstruction, Thurston is showing no signs of losing the guile and class that has made him a four-time Dally M champion.
While Thurston was scheming, playmaking partner Michael Morgan was picking up where he left off following his 2017 heroics.
Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt sent a reminder of his freakish aerial talent when he somehow plucked a Morgan kick with one hand to score North Queensland’s first try.
Thurston gave the Cowboys an 8-4 lead at the break with his solo effort before Feldt was in again, this time finishing a swift backline movement in which Morgan threw a sublime cut-out pass.
A late try to Storm rookie Billy Walters nearly cost North Queensland victory before Thurston stepped up and did what he does best.
If not for injuries to fullback Lachlan Coote (hamstring) and centre Kane Linnett (pectoral), the Cowboys could have celebrated a perfect night for their co-captain.
But those in Townsville should be excited – the king of the north is back.