NOOOOOOO...
THIS ISN’T HAPPENING THIS ISN’T HAPPENING
BUT it is happening. In a devastating blow to every Queensland supporter, Johnathan Thurston is out of the State of Origin decider with a seasonending shoulder injury.
The match was to have been his last for the Maroons.
Thurston said he had hoped to play the crucial game in the charged atmosphere of Suncorp Stadium but doing so could have changed his life for the worst.
“The medical advice I’ve been given is that if I wanted to live a normal life after football, then I had to have the surgery,” he said.
JOHNATHAN Thurston insists there will be no fairytale Allan Langer-style comeback as the shattered Maroons champion confronts the premature end to his magical Origin career.
Queensland’s worst fears were realised yesterday when scans confirmed Thurston requires season-ending shoulder surgery – robbing him of his Maroons finale in the Origin decider on July 12 at Suncorp Stadium.
The sledgehammer blow has multi-faceted repercussions, with the Cowboys’ premiership hopes in tatters as Thurston digests the reality he will also miss the end-of-year World Cup.
On the eve of this season, Thurston announced this year would be his representative swansong for Queensland and Australia. Last month, he signed a 12-month extension with the Cowboys, meaning the Maroons maestro is available for Test and Origin selection in 2018.
Origin retirement backflips are not uncommon. NSW greats Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler both had second comings and Broncos legend Langer famously returned from England in 2001 to inspire one of Queensland’s greatest Origin victories.
But Thurston said the devastation of missing the Origin decider would not trigger a change of heart to wear his beloved Maroon jumper one more time in 2018.
“I am at ease with the decision I’ve made,” he said.
“I wanted to finish on a high with rep football, but that’s not to be. I’m comfortable with the decision I’ve made to retire from rep football.
“I have got no worries about that. I know my career is com- ing to an end and it’s about enjoying training every day and being around the boys.
“I am staying in the moment and love it while it lasts.
“I thought I might have been able to pump one or two more games out. But the medical advice said if you want to live a healthy life after football, it’s best to get this (surgery) done now.
“I will be able to spend more time with the family but it’s still pretty shattering.
“I got the scan and the news wasn’t good. It’s the best decision for myself and the club to get the op done now.”
After 37 games for the Maroons – including a record 36 straight Origin matches – Thurston’s glittering Origin career is over. His final Maroons magic act will be remembered as the superb sideline conversion he landed with a busted shoulder to seal an epic 18-16 win in Origin II last Wednesday night.
It is understood Thurston faces a six-month recovery to ensure he is fully fit for what shapes as his final NRL season with the Cowboys next year.
Cowboys coach Paul Green yesterday dismissed suggestions the club made the wrong call by recalling Thurston for their clash against the Eels in Darwin a fortnight ago.
He added Thurston’s setback will act as motivation for Cowboys teammates to win this year’s premiership.
“At that stage he passed all the medical markers in terms of strength and stability in the shoulder,” Green said.
“There was a risk of him reinjuring it, everyone knew that, but the nature of the initial injury was such that he didn’t need surgery there and then. We are disappointed for JT but it gives us a steely determination too. It’s given our group more determination.”