We're for JT
Thanks for the memories
PETER PARR IS THE COWBOYS’ GENERAL MANAGER OF FOOTBALL. HE IS ALSO THE MAN WHO, ALONG WITH GRAHAM MURRAY, SIGNED A YOUNG JOHNATHAN THURSTON TO NORTH QUEENSLAND FOR THE 2005 SEASON — CHANGING THE DESTINY OF THE PLAYER AND THE CLUB. SINCE THEN, PARR AND THURSTON HAVE FORMED AN UNBREAKABLE FRIENDSHIP, ONE THAT LED TO A PACT BEING FORMED BETWEEN THE PAIR THAT NEITHER WOULD LEAVE THE CLUB WHILE THE OTHER REMAINED. AS THURSTON PREPARES TO PLAY THE FINAL GAME OF HIS CAREER TONIGHT, PARR WRITES ON THURSTON’S JOURNEY FROM SHY ROOKIE TO COWBOYS CHAMPION AND FUTURE IMMORTAL. THIS IS THE STORY OF THE PLAYER AND THE MAN, FROM ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT KNOWS HIM BEST.
IFIRST met Johnathan on Friday July 2, 2004. Graham Murray and I had taken the short stroll from the Crowne Plaza at Coogee down to Bazura Restaurant, and waited patiently for Johnathan and his agent Sam Ayoub to arrive.
We had made Johnathan an offer to join the Cowboys the previous day and, after exchanging further emails with Sam, I was confident we had reached a resolution on the financial terms of the deal.
The only thing that had to happen now was to convince Johnathan that the Cowboys could provide him with what he was looking for from a football point of view.
“Muzz” and I were aware of Johnathan’s ability.
He scored two tries against us in Round 21 of 2002 – the first tries in his NRL career – and we had been keeping a close watch on him since that game. Now that he was off contract, it was our opportunity to go after Johnathan.
On arrival, Sam sat opposite Muzz and Johnathan sat down in front of me.
We exchanged the first of what would be many handshakes.
He had taken the cap he had been wearing off his head, and I remember thinking “that is a good start”.
As we talked, his eyes rarely left the floor. He was quiet, gently spoken, respectful and nodded every time that Sam said something.
When he did speak, he made sense. He asked about where Muzz saw him playing, what role he would have, what the playing roster was going to look like, and how training operated in the off- season heat – all pertinent questions, especially from someone so young.
As we said goodnight, he thanked us for our interest, put his cap on back- to- front and walked down the street into the dark with Sam.
I was impressed with him, and stood there hoping that wasn’t the last I ever saw of him. We played the Roosters the next night on the Central Coast, and were defeated 32- 22.
As we made our way home on the bus from Gosford to Coogee, Muzz and I discussed what a difference Johnathan would have made to the team that night. It was a waiting game now.
Three days later, on Tuesday July 6, the Cowboys were about to change forever.
Sam emailed at 3.14pm to say Johnathan had accepted our three- year offer.
Muzz was is in his office. I went and told him the news, and we agreed to ring Johnathan the next day.
When Muzz and I ring him, we have him on speakerphone.
We ask him why he chose the Cowboys, expecting that our meeting played a pivotal role.
He says it wasn’t really anything we said, but the opportunity to play footy with Matty Bowen. I hear that laugh for the first time. A few days later, Mark Hughes – the recruitment manager at the Bulldogs – called me.
Mark congratulated me on signing Johnathan, and said something I have seen ring true so many times since: “You don’t understand how good a competitor you have”.
On his arrival in Townsville, there were two things that stuck out straight away.
First was how much Johnathan hates to lose.
He trains the house down – still does – and just simply refuses to be beaten. The other thing that was clear was how much time he had.
This is his greatest quality. He has time on and off the field. All the great sportsman have it in their chosen field, but he has had it off the field from the start. From the time he first walked through the door at the Cowboys, he has had time for everyone. It doesn’t matter what you did, where you came from or who you were, he gave you time. As his profile and popularity grew, it was a behaviour that never left him. He came to Townsville having won the 2004 grand final with the Bulldogs. He had no premiership ring to show for it after giving his away to injured skipper Steve Price, another insight for me into his character.
He soon found his groove as a regular NRL player, making his State of Origin debut in his first season with the Cowboys – the first of 36 consecutive Origins, if you don’t mind.
His first Dally M followed at the end of 2005, and then he debuted for Australia in the Anzac Test of 2006.
It was following this Test match that I learnt some more about him.
A few days after his Test debut, I saw him out on the training field in the middle of the day, by himself, passing footballs.
It looked like he was trying to hit the upright of the goalpost from about 20m away.
I asked him later what he was doing, and he said to me: “Mate, I cannot believe how far and accurate that Bedsy ( Danny Buderus), Locky ( Darren Lockyer) and Joey
I WISHED HIM LUCK FOR THE NEXT NIGHT, AND HIS REPLY SUMMED HIM UP: ‘ I HOPE WE WIN FOR THUMPER.’
(Andrew Johns) can pass.
“If I want to keep playing for Australia, I need to get better.”
That need to get better has always been there. Whether it be passing, kicking, tackling or leadership, it wouldn’t matter – he always wanted to do better.
When he first started, he was always listening – learning as much as he could from the likes of Paul Bowman, Matt Sing, Travis Norton and Paul Rauhihi.
His desire to be better today than he was yesterday is a trait he has never lost, and I doubt he will lose it in the future.
Two important factors helped shape him into the man he is.
His first Indigenous All Stars game was an eye- opener for him.
He came back with some embarrassment that he didn’t know as much about his heritage as other players. He wanted to make a difference, but how could he do it if he didn’t understand his own heritage?
He went with family members out to Mitchell, and learnt about his heritage, culture and tribe.
He came back from that experience a different person, as if he understood his place in the world.
He wanted to make a difference and help his people, and after that trip it appeared he now knew his responsibility and what he had to do.
As he recounted the trip to me, his smile was as big as I’ve ever seen it.
You cannot talk about Johnathan without talking about the other most important factor in his life – his wife Samantha.
She has been described as his rock, and the woman behind the man.
Both descriptions are true, but she is much more than that.
Here is a woman who is intelli- gent, makes rational decisions and has a wonderful sense of humour.
She has a great attribute of making people feel good about themselves, and I have no doubt her outlook on life has been a major factor in the development of Johnathan. Time spent with Samantha is time well spent.
As we head towards his last game, he continues to deflect praise. He is much more comfortable talking about his mates Matt “Thumper” Scott or Gavin Cooper, or the next generation of Cowboys leaders such as Michael Morgan or Jason Taumalolo. He is humble to the end. Out of all the events and celebrations of Johnathan’s career that have occurred in the past couple of weeks, two stand out for me.
Late in the afternoon on the day before his last home game, he sat opposite me in my office.
He was quiet, gently spoken, re- spectful and occasionally looked at the floor – no different to all those years ago when we were at Bazura Restaurant.
When he went to leave, he got to the door and said goodnight.
I wished him luck for the next night, and his reply summed him up: “I hope we win for Thumper.”
The night after that last home game, I was at a restaurant with family and friends.
Johnathan walked in with a group of friends.
There were 13 people at our table, some Johnathan knew and some he did not.
He went around our table shaking hands with the males he knew, and kissing the females he knew on the cheek.
He introduced himself to the people he didn’t know – “Hello, I’m Johnathan” – before giving them his time and chatting to them. He and I stand, and chat about the night before. A lady at the table behind interrupts us mid- sentence, her manners temporarily forgotten in her excitement at seeing him.
He poses for the photo, and we resume the conversation.
He then bids farewell to everyone at the table, telling the people who had met him for the first time how nice it was to meet them.
I watch him head back to his own table, people stopping him at every turn. I watch as he gives each of them what they want – some of his time.
There are many words to describe Johnathan – brilliant, outstanding, tough, winner, greatest.
Pick any word you like to describe him.
For all of us who have been fortunate to watch him play and grow into the man he has become, there is only one word to use.
Privilege.