THURSTON’S WARRIORS
Injured skipper praises team’s toughness ahead of Roosters clash
JOHNATHAN Thurston has lauded North Queensland’s mental toughness as punters scrambled to jump on the Cowboys bandwagon. The Cowboys are one win away from a second grand final in three years, with only the Roosters standing in their way at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night in their bid to qualify for the October 1 decider.
The absence of Thurston for most of the year coupled with Matt Scott’s knee injury in Round 2 saw the Cowboys written off as premiership contenders by most pundits.
They were rank outsiders against the Sharks and Eels in the opening two weeks of the finals on foreign turf but ended both teams’ seasons.
And they are now being heavily backed to spring another upset and make it through to the ANZ Stadium grand final.
Almost 80 per cent of bets with UBET for the Roosters-Cowboys clash have been placed on North Queensland, proving the men from Townsville are no longer flying under the radar.
Momentum is everything in finals football and the Cowboys have found it at the right time after sneaking into the top eight.
Thurston, restricted to seven NRL games this season by calf and shoulder injuries, said he had never seen such a mentally strong team in his 13 seasons at the club.
“It’s their mental toughness and the way they keep turning up for each other,” he said.
“They are just warriors. They fight for everything. That’s what you need at this time of the year.
“The group is mentally tough. It doesn’t matter what teams are throwing at us, we compete for everything. Yes, we could be better at executing the game plan, but they will keep fighting until the siren goes.”
North Queensland are not only riding a wave of momentum – they have also been boosted by the possible return of Scott. The inspirational cocaptain was thought to be sidelined for the remainder of the season when he ruptured his ACL in Round 2 but has been named in a 21-man squad for the Roosters clash.
It is unlikely Scott will face the Roosters but a grand final appearance looms if the Cowboys qualify. Stand-in skipper Gavin Cooper said Scott’s presence around the team had further lifted the Cowboys.
“He is a freak,” Cooper said. “To seem him out on the paddock carrying the ball and running into pads is a good sight.”
The Cowboys are expected to receive a heroes’ farewell when they depart Townsville today and will finalise their preparations with a training session in Sydney tomorrow.