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One of the greatest league players of all-time, Johnathan Thurston, said goodbye to State of Origin from the coaches’ box.
Part of the Queensland dynasty that has seen the Maroons win 11 of the last 12 series, Thurston injured his shoulder in the Game 2 win, meaning he missed Game 3 – he will also miss the rest of the NRL season.
The man with the helmet had a prestigious Origin career, making 37 appearances, including 36 in a row, but his send off at Suncorp Stadium was surely bittersweet.
JT received a special pre-game show acknowledging his Queensland career.
After the Maroons had secured the series 2-1 with a 22-6 win, NSW captain Boyd Cordner spoke highly of Thurston, before Maroons captain Cameron Smith gave his teammate a fantastic send off.
However, despite a perfect end from his teammates, Thurston would have much preferred to be have played.
Anyone who has played competitive sport, be it club or international level, would always rather be out on the ground instead of in the stands.
Wednesday night would have been a double-edged sword situation for Thurston. He would have enjoyed seeing the game from a different perspective, but he didn’t want his Maroons career to finish in the coaches’ box. No rugby league fan – including Blues fans – wanted his last series to conclude without him on the field.
Thurston finishes his Origin career with five tries, and a massive 99 goals that, along with two field goals, combine for a total of 220 points.
The second-most capped Queensland player of all time leaves the representative field as a hero, and his attributes on match day will be missed by many.
Hopefully JT continues to be a great player, but the body can be a frustrating thing. The only thing that fans can do is wait and see how he recovers before he pulls on the boots for one more season in the NRL in 2018.
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