Is Johnathan Thurston elite? Is he the great halfback we all think he is?
We know his achievements at representative level, and we are aware that individually he is one of the best we have ever seen, his multiple Dally M medals vouch for that.
However, with all the talk of the Cowboys finally getting it all together and living up to the hype, I still have my doubts about the origin star and whether his name belongs next to the other great No. 7’s in history like Andrew Johns, Peter Sterling, Ricky Stuart or Alan Langer.
I think back to 2004 when a young Johnathan Thurston won a premiership with the Canterbury Bulldogs.
Thurston came off the bench that day, and only just made the team due to an injury to Bulldogs captain Steve Price; he was passenger that season and had little or no influence on the game, but we knew we were going to see a lot more of him in the future.
Fast forward 12 months and Thurston is playing in his second grand final in two years, this time around Thurston carried a no-name North Queensland Cowboys side all the way to the big dance, only to be out-classed by a young, energetic and highly-skilled Wests Tigers side.
Thurston was exposed that day as he made some horrible reads in defence, and it felt like he was struggling for motivation.
For the first time in Thurston’s short career, things were not going his way. We have become accustomed to Johnathan Thurston’s blow-up, where he will yell, scream and whinge as soon as it looks like fortune was not on his side.
Now for all the superlatives that describe how good Thurston is, one thing is clear, he has failed in every finals series since 2005 and until he wins a Premiership as a leading halfback, he will never reach the level of greats like Johns, Stuart, Sterling or Langer.
These players were able to carry a team season after season consistently; all four players managed to win multiple premierships and in regards to Langer and Johns, they never lost a grand final.
In regards to Andrew Johns, arguably the greatest halfback of all time, he was not your typical athletic style halfback. Johns was known for his toughness and his ability to read the game; he was cut from a different cloth than today’s halfbacks.
Thurston and Johns share similar qualities, but it’s the differences that have them worlds apart.
Defensively, Joey was the best we have seen in the No. 7. He would pick players up double his size and drive them back 15 metres. You could never question his heart, and you knew you could rely on him in the big moments.
People seem to forget how bad of a defender Thurston is due to his ability with the ball. Historically Thurston is a huge liability defending his line and even this season he has missed a total of 52 tackles.
The season average for missed tackles is 20.2. For an elite halfback and star of the game, that effort is quite poor and could be a telling statistic of his career if the Cowboys fail once again.
Now I know we don’t measure the success and failure of a player by the amount of premierships they have won, but for Thurston it’s different, because his success at rep level and through stages of the regular season have built this great expectation upon his shoulders.
My question is, can he live up to this expectation? Can he finally break through all the finger pointing, blaming and controversy and call himself an all-time great halfback?
I think it’s fair we judge Thurston on his ability to deliver a premiership for the Cowboys, because I’m confident that’s how he would judge himself. Anything short of a premiership is a failure for the Cowboys in every season Thurston is wearing the No. 7 Jersey.
When Johns, Langer, Stuart and Sterling were plying their trade, a finals appearance was a guarantee, not a possibility. They led from the front and took responsibility.
Lets look at this season.
The Cowboys started off the with their usual inconsistency, then shocked us all by winning three home games in row against Queensland rivals Brisbane, 2013 Premiers the Roosters and the resurgent Parramatta Eels.
Then, in classic Cowboys form, lost 42-10 the Canberra Raiders. Once again we were all left baffled about the Cowboys’ chances of breaking the Premiership drought.
In the following month they lost two games to bottom-eight teams and won two big games against the Rabbitohs and the Storm. Thurston was instrumental in the Cowboys’ 22-point win over the Storm; his dominant performance came just three days after State of Origin Game Three. This is the type of game we expect from Thurston, but he often fails to deliver.
Recently the Cowboys have been in winning form, putting together four wins in a row and forcing themselves into the top four. Although this is admittedly an amazing achievement this late in the season, we can’t forget the fact these four wins came against bottom-eight teams.
On paper the Cowboys boast a very strong side, and with Thurston at halfback it’s with real no surprise that they’re sitting in fourth place. However, without a grand final appearance I would consider this season another fail by Johnathan Thurston and his Cowboys.
The Cowboys best result since the 2005 grand final appearance was 28-6 loss to Manly in a preliminary final in 2007. Since then, they have made the finals only three times and have missed out on three as well, including almost wining the wooden spoon in 2010, an honour later claimed by the Storm for salary cap breaches.
Thurston has only showed us what the Cowboys are missing out on when he performs for Queensland in origin or Australia at the World Cup. He has no problem showing up for big games or scoring a match winner at rep level, but when he goes missing, everyone gives him a pass and lets him get away with the fact he has failed again.
I love Johnathan Thurston, but it’s time for him to step up and show us what he is made of, to put all of the garbage aside and show us that he is an elite half back, and deserves to be referred to as the greatest half back of all time; right now, he doesn’t even belong in the discussion.
John Price
Guest
Do your research. The qld competition in the 80s was top flight league equal to nswrl. Half the australian side played for Wynnum Manly who won the comp with Wally twice. Rugby League week even released a post grand final issue analysing how close a result would be the year canterbury bankstown won and wynnum manly won their competition in the same year.
Great
Guest
Immortal
sb
Guest
How can u say johns carried two grand finals without loss, as far as I remember Leo denovur carried the seaaon and in the grandfinal the forwards and Robbie o lead the way .in the second grandy the engine room once again did the job, or were we watching different games
Sam Atkinson
Roar Pro
Yeah that is true David, very unlucky in those two incidences. But come on, The Sharks???? The Cowboys should have blown them away.
David
Guest
Hi Sam, You have to remember, the Cowboys have been robbed the last two seasons of the nrl. Making it very hard for JT to win a premiership.
Shane
Guest
Barry Thurston has been such a dominating player for Australia ,Queensland, and NRL for many years.He has never been far off winning the Dally M every year he has played. In a side that over the years have relied on 1 player more then any other club I believe he has earn the right to be mentioned as a future immortal. Langer ,Sterling were great players that won many premierships but lets also agree that these 2 players had some wonderful talent around them ,I believe if Thurston had played with these sought of talent then he would had won a few premierships easily. In regards to Johns he did admit to taking ecstasy and could not believe that he was never caught and to me and the whole world Ecstasy can put you off your head
Shane
Guest
Sorry Barry Thurston has been a dominant player for several and is always in the top 5 in Dally M points, He has won every accolade for a football ,He has dominated International, State of Origin, and NRL and that is a fact. Thurston has been so dominate in a team that has relied on him for so many years. All these players Sterling Langer as good as they were had excellent teams around them l.I am sure that if Thurston had the same amount of talent around him he would have won a premiership. Cowboys are playing great but lets give credit where credit is due, for a long time Cowboys have been carried by Thurston and that is not a secret.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I'm a Thurston fan - I appreciate the time he spent at the Dogs. I actually had the pleasure of playing blackjack with him a couple of weeks ago and can say he's a champion bloke as well. However - you can't just throw someone in as an immortal because they play in a faster / tougher era. They have to be a/the dominant player in their era. Johns never admitted he was off his head for most of the games he played. It was the exact opposite. I wouldn't mind seeing the cowboys make a deep run in the semis. They're looking very good at the moment.
Magic Sponge
Guest
NQ best chance is this year, they really have to prove to themselves they can win in Sydney consistently, great chance against Panthers. No point just winning at dairy farmers
Sam Atkinson
Roar Pro
Thanks Mark - who ever you are
Sam Atkinson
Roar Pro
@ALBO you wrote " What ! Thurston has missed less than one tackle per game over the season" thats impossible, did you not read my article? here is a refresher "Historically Thurston is a huge liability defending his line and even this season he has missed a total of 52 tackles. The season average for missed tackles is 20.2" These stats are provided from the NRL website, where did you get you're information regarding him missing less than 1 tackler per game??
Shane
Guest
What a bias article and you say you love JT. Give me a break Sounds more like a Witch hunt in this article. JT is the greatest Half in the world and I believe he will be an immortal. Over the last few years JT has carried the Cowboys by himself and everybody know he is a 1 man team. You talk about JOHNS STERLING LANGER but they played in eras where the comps were no where near the Pace and physicality of this era. Johns also admitted he was off his head for most of the games he played in . 2 Dally M 2 Golden Boots plus all the other awards that he has picked up over the years. Lets give credit where credit is due and not be so one sided for the negative
BrisbaneBhoy
Guest
"This is a hate article, can I have one form someone who actually supports the Cows" I can not understand why people keep calling the Cowboys the "Cows". Are people really that dumb that they don't realise/know that Cowboys and Cows are two completely different things? It makes no sense at all calling the Cowboys - "Cows". All it does it make those who call them that look like idiots. Anyways, back to the topic. Regardless if Thurston leads the Cowboys to a Premiership or not he will always be one of the greats to play Rugby League. It is a team that wins the title, not an individual.
mark oldbar
Guest
if you take on a legend ...you better be one. Mark Old Bar
NQ Cowboy
Guest
It's a bit harsh blaming JT for the Cowboys not winning a premiership. The bloke has carried the team for the last 10 seasons. Imagine what he could do if they had a hooker and a decent half/five eight playing beside him.
Matt h
Guest
Shane Perry won a premiership with Brisbane in 2006. Future immortal??
Gunslinger
Guest
JT has a huge job on his hands attempting to win a GF for Nth QLD. It's a bigger test than those other great halves Sam has mentioned. Nth QLD simply don't get the support at their away games, travel and players shy away from residing in Townsville to name a couple of tough circumstances. Therefore JT has a massive job ahead of him but if there is a half back tough enough to do it. it's him. A GF win can't be the responsibility of one player though, it's the board, the NRL and the supporters. Once they get their first GF win a massive flow on effect will occur and NQ will never be the same, the Club will prosper big time.
up in the north
Guest
Sam, good piece mate cheers. I do think you're a bit harsh on the bloke though. The measure of JT as "the" greatest half/five eight, is not really the point. Like all passionate people he seems to just want to win. I'll never forget a post-game bawl he had, spoke volumes for his ticker that he gave %100, and was completely spent afterwards, both phisycally and emotionally. My only criticism of him has been because he is unable to let the others in his team give it more of a go, he was almost like a ball hog. Whether that was due to lack of talent around him, or the forwards weren't doing their jobs, or they didn't believe in the game-plan, I doubt anyone knows. What's fantastic at the moment is they all seem to be buying into what Paul Green is selling, and it's having obvious benefits. They are an entirely different team from the start of the year. The Aukland Nines win may have been a curse. But they now seem more cohesive, more faceted, they are finally playing as a team. I'm not too sure that JT's legacy should be marked as how many grand finals he won, rather how much pleasure he gives the footy loving punter. Even died in the wool Sydney-siders admit the bloke's a champion. So Sammy, with all due respect, pull your head in ;-)
Albo
Guest
Seriously Sam ? You are calling Thurston out for what ? He was a kid in 2004 and 2005 ! In the past decade he has proved himself as a great footballer whether at half or 5/8 for Club, State & Country ! Most rival clubs would have cheated the salary cap to get him over this period ! You have the temerity to question Thurston's ability against the likes of a Ricky Stuart ??? Huh ? Since when does being a premiership winning halfback prove your ability compared to dozens of State Of Origin & Test match victories that Thurston had plenty to do with ? So Craig Gower guided Penrith to a GF win in 2003, and Tooves guided Manly to the 1996 GF, whilst "monkey" Mayes guided Manly & Easts to 3 successive GF wins 1973 -1975 ! Wow ! he must have been elite compared to loser Thurston ! What ! Thurston has missed less than one tackle per game over the season ! For the number of tackles he makes or covers for others, that is a ridiculous criticism ! So the real reason the Cowboys haven't won a Premiership as yet, is quite simple. Its the same as for Cronulla ! They haven't had a team good enough as yet ! Maybe this year they might go close, but I think they are still lacking a bit of class in most areas to trouble some teams in the finals ! But what I am pretty confident about is that they will win a premiership before Cronulla do and that Jonathan Thurston is an elite half / 5/8 footballer even if he never wins an NRL Premiership !
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
Well, closer than I remember. Which reinforces the point I suppose.