To finish your playing career with a title is the greatest way to bow out.
For a professional athlete to raise the silverware in their final pro appearance is the fairytale ending that so many chase.
This weekend at a picturesque arena in the South West of England, 16,000km from where it all started, 40-year-old Bradley Carnegie Thorn will be hoping that there are two games left in his legs.
If Thorn’s Leicester Tigers can cause a boil over and beat Bath, the final of the English Premiership in front of 80,000 fans at Twickenham lies in wait.
To be classed as the only All Black that the majority of Australians like probably sits well – perhaps because he has played league for Australia.
Perhaps it is because at 40 years of age he is still playing professional rugby in one of the toughest competitions in world rugby and the average punter admires that.
Perhaps it’s because off the field he is as much a gentleman as he is warrior on it.
Whatever the reason, the greatest dual international to have played both league and union at the ultimate level could well be lacing the studs for his swansong this Saturday.
I say greatest as who else can compare the achievements that Brad Thorn has achieved in both games.
In league he has played 14 State of Origin games for Queensland and 8 Tests for Australia (Super League included). In the NRL he turned out for the Broncos on 200 occasions across two stints with the Brisbane club.
In the 15-man game he has played 59 Tests for the All Blacks, 108 Super Rugby appearances for the Crusaders and the Highlanders and New Zealand NPC games for Canterbury and also Tasman.
Add in his time for Fukuoka Blues in Japan, Leinster in Ireland and the current spell with Leicester in the English Premiership, Thorn at the completion of this Saturday’s fixture will have played in at least 440 professional standard, or first Class in cricket parlance, matches.
When you consider that he played no rugby code at all in 2002 while he considered his future, the mind boggles as to his longevity.
Taking that year off also speaks volumes of the man himself. After being named in the All Blacks squad at the end of the 2001 season, his debut season in the 15-man game, Thorn declined the offer, which was the dream he was chasing in crossing codes to begin with.
Citing the reason as requiring time to decide what his future held, it is a decision that underpins the makeup of Brad Thorn. Could you imagine Jarryd Hayne turning down the ’49ers if he were to make the roster?
When Thorn moves back to his ‘hometown’ of Brisbane to take up a position with the Reds in a coaching role, he will need to find a home with a huge pool room.
Thorns trophies include three NRL Premierships and one Super League title, a Super Rugby title, a Heineken Cup, two New Zealand NPC titles and the greatest prize in rugby, The William Webb Ellis Trophy for the 2011 World Cup, Thorn’s last appearance as an All Black.
At 40 years of age, Thorn isn’t just making the numbers, he is an integral part of the Tigers march to the Premiership. With a dominant performance against the minor premiers, Northampton Saints, Leicester has qualified for the finals for the 11th consecutive season and now find themselves one match off a title decider.
However in their one meeting this year at The Rec resulted in Bath handing out a 45 to nil drubbing.
The Tigers did manage to turn that around with victory over Bath at home in January. That said they enter this match as the heavy underdogs.
The game is poised to be a great contest, with both sides keen to stamp their tickets to the big dance at Twickenham.
It seems only fair that a player as respected as Brad Thorn the fairytale ending plays out. No-one could begrudge the man that.
One things certain, Brad Thorn won’t take a backward step in achieving his dream and he will do everything to ensure this weekend is the penultimate game of his playing career.
It seems apt that by reversing his initials, Thorn will be TCB.
Aidan Loveridge
Roar Pro
Id have to disagree true legends are often the most loyal eg. Mccaw and Carter
Muktar
Guest
Legends seek immortality, not nationality..
Squirrel
Roar Rookie
Yeah where is his loyalty. Is he an Aussie or a kiwi. WTF. how can you play for two countries.
soapit
Guest
yeah, have done it myself i'm sure. one of those things we should try not to think about when enjoying the moment. difference is that the whole contest is named after the cup in rugby so holding the cup is much more the point. in origin they generally only talk about being a series winner and the shield is kinda just in the background for the most
Jerry
Guest
To be fair, you see much the same thing with the Bledisloe Cup. Both the Wallabies and AB's have celebrated a drawn series like a win.
Darren
Guest
Granted. Was more trying to draw parallels that both chasing a dream. Thorn was not to know that he would get another crack at the AB's particularly after taking the entire year off.
soapit
Guest
funny isnt it how much having the physical object seemed to matter.
Jake
Guest
Yeh, I think Brad Thorn should have stuck to playing for one country. If he played league for NZ then he plays for the All Blacks and vice versa. To go from the worlds best in the Kangaroos and jump ship worlds best in the All Blacks is trophy hunting.
ken
Guest
Correct drawn series,but still retained the shield as reigning champs ..hehe
soapit
Guest
kinda said above happy for him to be the greatest convert but greatest dual international is another discussion for me. he only played 8 tests (including super league)
MJB
Guest
The fact that someone can actually play for both the Maroons and the All Blacks and people don't call it an utter farce is rather surprising.
Mango Jack
Guest
Hats off to the man. A bit picky, cos I liked the article, but the comparison with Hayne is off the mark. If Hayne says no he will NEVER get another chance. He's chasing them, not the other way around. Thorn would have known that he was good enough to get another chance. The level of competition for spots is light years apart.
Daz
Guest
And let's not forget he played both codes in the heat and sweat and grind of the engine room. He was no pretty boy kicking stones out in the backline as SBW describes it.
soapit
Guest
qld didnt win in 99
soapit
Guest
brad thorn was only 1.95m. if you check out the measurements there are quite a few league guys that match up height wise and are a bit light (to be addressed through bigger focus on bulk and core strength). the taller style second rower tho i agree, not too many of those. klemmer would be one of the tallest around at 2.0m (rugby should have had a go for him when he was cheap before he started making rep). they do exist. its more that after having a role of running with the ball and tackling in league spending time to learn a new game where you get to do that less and spend that time instead with your head in a scrum probably isnt too appealing (not to mention playing a game a lot of these guys have been brought up to blindly hate their whole lives). theres lots of stories about flankers becoming too slow and turning into props and they manage to learn it just fine (richard harry off the top off my head). perhaps i was over the top with ANY less likely tho, there are more skills to learn. not as difficult as most people make out i reckon (for a professional sportsman used to the contact), just that very few bother to really try.
mania
Guest
soapit - whilst i am a huge jRobinson fan, thorne is just better cos he did it harder. playing in the forwards in rugby is a load more technical than being a forward in league. hence why SBW and burgess were put into the unfamiliar 2nd5 position. at the broncos thorn was the base that the entire team was built on. webke was no where near as effective when thorne left. but jasonRobinson was the shizz
Daz
Guest
God I hope that's not true. If it is it just shows you how ar@& about face our priorities are.
Markus
Guest
"i dont really think the transition in the forwards is any less likely to succeed" I would disagree with that. With the exception of scrumhalf, a rugby league back can potentially make a direct transition into their relative position in rugby, or even into other positions. And apart from some differences in set plays and defensive alignments, all the core skills are largely identical. Setting aside the complete lack of set-piece and breakdown skills in their repertoire, the vast majority of league forwards, even the props and second rowers, would only be suited to playing in the loose forwards, and more than likely only 6 or 8. There just aren't that many neckless tree stumps or 2m+ towers running around in the NRL that would be suitable for the tight five.
ken
Guest
You forgot the STATE OF ORIGIN series Shields he`s won too.. 1998 1999 i think..
Wal
Roar Guru
Jeez if that is true they are worse than the Blues at player recruitment,