Cooper muscles up to protect JT

GAVIN Cooper is gearing up to become the ultimate bodyguard for Johnathan Thurston on Wednesday night, as the duo prepare to bring their club combination to the Origin arena.

Thurston is set to be the No. 1 target of NSW in Game Two, after he missed the series opener with a shoulder injury.

The Blues have already indicated they want to fatigue Thurston as much as possible at ANZ Stadium and given the five- eighth also suffered a knee knock at training yesterday, he will be greatly tested by NSW’s big men. But they will have to go through Cooper first, if the Queensland forward has anything to say about.

Cooper was recalled to the side with Thurston’s backing.

Their combination at the Cowboys is so valuable that Cooper will start in place of monster forward Josh Papalii and the North Queensland giant knows he has to do everything he can to protect his teammate.

“My combination with JT is important,” Cooper said.

“( Protecting him) is my job every week.

“It’s no secret that I got a start here because of JT. That’s how I got there in the first place and why I am back again.

“NSW have a lot of combinations they are working with and it’s important to have. In a big game like this, it won’t hurt.

“We have a great friendship off the field and that helps on the field.”

Thurston also admitted this week that he was happy to see Cooper back in the side.

With much of the traffic from NSW expected to be coming Thurston’s way, he said it was important he was alongside someone who knew his defensive game well.

“We’ve obviously got a really good understanding of each other’s games, especially defensively,” Thurston said.

“That’s what wins these types of games is your defence. We’ve played a lot of footy alongside each other. It’s going to be nice to take that to another level.”