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Just over two years ago I stood in awe when the Cowboys scored on the siren to level the scores in the 2015 grand final.
Thurston then struck the upright when presented with a pressure kick from the sideline. Later, he redeemed himself by slotting a field goal from underneath the sticks to hand the Cows victory after Ben Hunt made a right old mess of the Golden Point restart.
What left me agape was something that occurred well after the match had ended.
Johnathan Thurston was handed the Clive Churchill medal.
The award had always been for the best and fairest player on the ground in the grand final – and in more than 40 years of watching grand finals I had never begrudged a single recipient of their accolade.
This time around though, it felt like a smack in the face to a rusted-on footy fan like myself.
On three previous occasions, the best player on the ground was judged to have been a player from the losing team. Canberra’s Brad Clyde in 1991 was the first player to achieve the milestone. Brad Mackay from St George followed up just two years later, while Daly Cherry-Evans from Manly was selected 20 years later in 2013.
I hadn’t just penciled in Anthony Milford in to receive the award in 2015; I had inked him in with permanent marker and three coats of clear lacquer.
Had the Cowboys been a point behind (instead of level pegging) when Thurston was lining up his kick from the sideline, the prestigious award would have been swallowed whole by Milford.
There could not have been a single justification for handing Thurston the accolade as the best player on the ground, especially from a losing side.
Thurston was not among the best ten players on the ground that day. His general kicking was ordinary. He made several errors, and his lost ball in the 33rd minute led directly to a try for Jack Reed.
Every single stat points in Milford’s favour, whether it is metres gained, offloads, tackle busts, line breaks, tackles, and missed tackles.
Milford’s snubbing by the Australian selectors for the Churchill was and still is, a complete farce. People who failed to collect, after placing a wager on him should be rightly upset.
Sportsbet or the TAB failed to refund any bets placed on the outcome like they do for other events when the results appear to be skewed, and the punters ready to revolt.
Flash forward a year and presto, the same piece of marketing magic occurs. The very same selectors decide to award the medal to the most popular player on the ground, rather than the best and fairest player on the ground.
Magically, the NRL announce that the award is decided upon at the 70-minute mark, so a few minutes prior to Andrew Fifita scoring the match winner. Last year however, when Thurston won the award the NRL claimed that it was his heroics of kicking the winning field goal that clinched him the accolade.
Well when is it that you actually make a decision. Is it at the 70-minute mark, or is it at full time?
You played well Luke Lewis but again the stats don’t lie. Andrew Fafita scored the match winning try single-handedly. He made zero errors, and did not commit a single foul.
He led every player on the paddock in metres gained and tackle busts. His defence was epic. He didn’t miss a single tackle.
So for two years running the Clive Churchill medal has been altered from being the best player on the ground, to a popularity contest. The home viewer can bathe in the warm fuzzy all-knowing feeling that the good guy does finish first every now and then, despite the old saying that he always finishes last.
There are a few things I’d like ushered in prior to the big one in 2017.
1. The Clive Churchill Medal scrapped for dishonour to his family name, and the award to be re-named the Mr Magoo Medal in honour of the selector’s poor eyesight and lack of integrity.
2. The watchdog restricting bets on future MOTM results until clear criteria and steadfast rules are implemented, and adhered to.
And there’s two more things that I’d like to see take place immediately. The NRL, and Channel Nine to stop insulting our intelligence.
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