Cowboys to play for team, not for me: JT

AUSSIES WIN BUT WARNER UNDER FIRE

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IT’S the beginning for the end for one of rugby league’s greatest players and a milestone he has waited nine long months to reach.

But Johnathan Thurston wants his North Queensland teammates to forget about his 300th NRL match on Friday night and focus on the task at hand – beating Cronulla.

Thurston admits he was “looked after” by the NRL after the Cowboys’ season-opener was scheduled at 1300SMILES Stadium in Townsville instead of an away fixture. But that’s where he wants the special treatment to end.

“If I or the boys are thinking, ‘Let’s do it for JT’, we’ll be sadly mistaken and copping a hiding on Friday night,” Thurston said.

The Cowboys legend was left stranded on 299 games when he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in June last year. The 34-year-old managed to patch it together to play in Queensland’s miraculous State of Origin II win but was unable to return for the Cowboys and underwent a full shoulder reconstruction..

“Even though it’s a big week for myself, we can’t lose focus of what’s important and making sure everyone’s preparing as best as we can,” Thurston said.

Thurston said he has full confidence in his shoulder after putting it to the test in two preseason hit-outs against Wests Tigers and Melbourne. He expects it to be targeted by a Cronulla side hell-bent on revenge after North Queensland knocked them out of last year’s NRL finals series.

“While I’ve still got a lot to work on, I thought I took a giant leap in the Melbourne game,” Thurston said. “I got knocked over with the ball and trampled a few times. Certainly that’s given me confidence and ... I’m sure they’ll be throwing plenty of tackles at me.”

The Cowboys will be without Lachlan Coote, who injured his hamstring against the Storm.