JT nearly became a Panther

JOHNATHAN Thurston burst through his front door, his whirlwind tour of Western Sydney over.

“We are moving to Penrith,’’ Thurston beamed.

“I just agreed to a threeyear deal with the Panthers.’’

It’s 2013 and the off-contract superstar has returned home to tell his future wife Samantha that he has just completed a $3 million deal to join the Penrith Panthers.

“Like hell you have,’’ Samantha said.

“We are not moving to Penrith. I hope you can get out of it or you will be living in Sydney on your own.’’

This is the untold story of how Samantha stopped arguably the game’s greatest player from making the NRL move that would have denied him a fairytale premiership win with Cowboys. Of how a threat prompted the backflip that will mean Thurston retires from rugby league as a North Queensland legend. And of how a pregnant partner trumped Phil Gould, one of the NRL’s most powerful men.

“I had agreed to go to Penrith when I was coming offcontract in 2013,’’ Thurston said.

“I was going to become a Penrith Panther.’’ Or so Thurston thought. “I had just fallen pregnant with our first child Frankie,’’ Samantha said.

“I was having a bit of a rough time and I was adamant about not going to Sydney. My support network was in Townsville. I told him he was going to be going on his own.’’

Thurston had not signed a contract but he had agreed. And Thurston is not a man who goes back on his word.

“I went to bed that night thinking I was going to be living in Sydney on my own,’’ Thurston said.

“It is fair to say I didn’t get a lot of sleep.’’