BACK WITH THE BOYS
FNQ HAS RINGSIDE SEATS FOR THE LONG-AWAITED RETURN OF COWBOYS CO-CAPTAINS JOHNATHAN THURSTON AND MATT SCOTT
FANS COUNT DOWN TO KICK-OFF
PLAYERS GO BACK TO SCHOOL
THE BIG Q&A WITH COACH PAUL GREEN
IT’S time.
The long wait for Johnathan Thurston-starved fans ends tonight in Cairns and he’s looking as slick as ever.
The 34-year-old trained in a way that belied his 241-day absence in the Cowboys’ captain’s run at Barlow Park yesterday, giving fans a glimpse of the greatness they will witness in about a 30-minute stint tonight.
While convinced the hundreds of painstaking hours of rehab has his shoulder as strong as ever, Thurston said he was still nervous about his return against the Tigers.
“It’s a long time coming and I just want to get out there and enjoy the moment,” he said.
Tigers co-captain Russell Packer said JT would not be able to hide once he crossed the white line and be at the mercy of a team with plenty to prove.
“He’s playing so I’m sure he’ll have to make a tackle at some stage,” he said.
THE time for talk and speculation is over – but Johnathan Thurston is still nervous about the first time he takes the ball to the Tigers’ line in Cairns tonight.
The Cowboys halfback hopes to give his shoulder a “20 to 30 minute” litmus test during the opening match of the preseason at Barlow Park and repay all the hours others have put in to make sure 241 days on the sidelines have all been worth it.
“I’m excited, but a little bit nervous at the same time and obviously I’m coming back from a major injury but I’ve done all the work, so in my own mind I know I’ll be right,” Thurston said.
“It’s been a long journey, it’s been a tough journey, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel now so I’ve been training extremely hard alongside the rest of the boys and just excited to be in Cairns and play a match, which I haven’t for a long time.
“Everything that I’ve been asked to do, I’ve been able to do it, so that’s what is giving me the confidence to go out there and play.
“I’ve had to do a fair bit of contact with the bigger boys and the shoulder’s pulled up fine from that, and all my other skills – there’s no issues with the shoulder.
“It’s a long time coming and I just want to get out there and enjoy the moment.”
The 34-year-old will enjoy strapping on the boots again but said he may need a breather midway through his stint, hoping the match will be played in quarters in the sauna-like conditions that are even getting under the skin of locals in the Far North.
Thurston expected the Tigers to throw down an ideal trial challenge to his and the squad’s hard work in the preseason.
“No doubt they’ll be itching to get out there and whack a few blokes,” he said.
Fellow co-captain Matt Scott hoped to pump out a strong first 20 minutes tonight but won’t have much going through his head on his first hit-up.
“The less you think about it the better, just catch the ball and run, but it’s been a while so I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.
“I’m at the stage now where I just sort of want to get this first game out of the way to have a good, solid hitout and tick that box off I suppose.
“For me, it will be mainly timing and match fitness is a part of that, but also just that high intensity.
“We do some pretty highintensity drills at training but it’s never quite exactly the same as a game, so for me it’s mainly a defensive focus and getting the timing back with a bit of game awareness.”
IT’S BEEN A LONG JOURNEY, IT’S BEEN A TOUGH JOURNEY, BUT THERE’S LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL NOW COWBOYS CO-CAPTAIN JOHNATHAN THURSTON