JT key for Maroons
Could Queensland win Game Two if Thurston was out injured again?
JOHNATHAN Thurston is one of the greatest State of Origin players Queensland has ever had but his presence alone wouldn’t decide the Maroons’ fate in Game Two.
The 34-year-old sent a scare through the Queensland camp when he went down with a suspected knee injury at training yesterday.
We all know where Queensland went wrong in Origin I and it definitely wasn’t Thurston’s replacement Milford.
The 22-year-old Brisbane playmaker was solid in his debut and worked well with halves partner Cooper Cronk.
It was the insipid effort by the forwards in Game One against a Blues pack that battered, bruised and belted Queensland through the middle of the ground. Yes Thurston is a future immortal and a tough player, but he wouldn’t have stopped the likes of Andrew Fifita and David Klemmer running for over 300m between them.
Father Time has caught up with some of Queensland’s greatest servants in the forwards and they looked slow, unable to make an impact on the outcome.
So when the Maroons take to the field at ANZ Stadium trying to keep the series alive on Wednesday night, it won’t matter if Thurston is there or not. Instead the likes of Jarrod Wallace, Gavin Cooper, Josh McGuire, Josh Papalii, Coen Hess and Tim Glasby need to stand up and be counted so the ample number of playmakers Queensland have can do their thing. JT is not the beall and end-all for Queensland.