JT reveals his Origin agony

JOHNATHAN Thurston has opened up about the pain of his final stint in a Queensland jumper as the Maroons champion prepares to be a State of Origin spectator on Wednesday night.

For the first time in 13 years, Thurston will not be a part of Camp Maroon, with the for- mer Queensland halfback to watch this year’s series opener at the MCG from his Townsville lounge room.

Thurston has detailed his private battle to get through last year’s series, which included sleeping in a recliner the night before Origin II to protect his battered shoulder.

Twenty- four hours before his matchwinning goal to keep the series alive, Thurston slept upright as if wedged in an airline economy seat.

“It was too painful to actually sleep in my bed so I would lie in the recliner each night,” Thurston recalls.

“I did that for two months.

“I was on painkillers, a lot stronger than ibuprofen. I was eating them like Skittles lollies. During the day I was OK, but at night, the pain was agony. I struggled to sleep four or five hours.

“When I went into Origin camp, the Queensland Rugby League were good. They brought a recliner chair in for me. Don’t worry, I got ham- mered by the boys for using it. They got stuck into me for having my personal chair ... but it was the only way I could sleep.”

Thurston, who played 37 Origin games and was a key member of 11 series wins in 12 years, admitted he would have mixed feelings when his Maroons mates took the field.

“I honestly don’t know how I’m going to feel,” he said. “I know I’m not a good spectator. I get more nervous sitting there watching than being out there. You just feel helpless.

“It’s going to be weird. Origin has been such a big part of my life. This time of year is something special, it has been for 13 years of my life.”