Thurston insists an Origin revival’s out

JOHNATHAN Thurston has categorically denied there is any chance he will make an Origin comeback after the retirement of Cameron Smith, vowing to devote all his energies to dragging the Cowboys out of the abyss.

A handful of former Queensland players believe the champion halfback, who retired from representative football last year, could help save the Maroons after Smith joined Cooper Cronk and Thurston in quitting Origin.

But Thurston immediately knocked the talk of an Allan Langer-style comeback on the head when asked by media in Townsville yesterday. “I’m no chance,” he said. “They would be scraping the barrel if they came back to me.

“We’ve got some exciting halves at the moment. Cameron Munster (Melbourne) and Ben Hunt (Dragons) are both on fire, Morgo (Michael Morgan) could get the job done and DCE (Daly Cherry-Evans) is another option that has played Origin as well.

“Kevvie (Walters, Queensland coach) hasn’t contacted me at all and I don’t think he would.

“My representative career is well and truly over, let me make that clear.”

Thurston opened a bottle of wine to toast Smith’s recordbreaking representative career when his good mate phoned to tell him his decision early this week.

“I was shocked like everyone else – he’d well and truly made up his mind before he spoke to me,” Thurston said.

“I got a bottle of nice red out of the cupboard, cracked that and had a couple of drinks when we were on the phone.

“I totally understand where he’s coming from – I play on an edge and don’t do anywhere near half the work of what he gets through.

“He’s a once-in-a-generation type player, he’s changed the way the nine role is played.

“Kicking out of dummy half, ball playing, running through the middle third, you didn’t see it 15 years ago from hookers.”

Thurston also backed fellow Indigenous great Greg Inglis as the man to replace Smith as Queensland skipper.

The Rabbitohs’ Inglis and another captaincy candidate, Cowboys prop Matt Scott, will square off against each other in their teams’ clash on Saturday in Townsville.

“The obvious choice would be Greg Inglis,” Thurston said.

“He’s had over 30 Origin games and from all reports, his leadership has really grown at South Sydney.

“The boys follow GI so having the ‘c’ next to his name, hopefully it makes him unstoppable.”

Cowboys coach Paul Green endorsed his hooker Jake Granville as an option to replace Smith.