The true JT effect
How Cowboys leader is making a difference while injured
JOHNATHAN Thurston may not be taking to the field in Sunday’s grand final against the Storm, but the Cowboys playmaker remains the backbone of his team.
The injured North Queensland co-captain has tried to stay out of the limelight this week, as his grand final-bound teammates ramp up their preparations for the premiership decider.
He missed their training session on Tuesday in front of thousands of fans and tried to keep his head down as the team arrived at the airport on Wednesday to allow others to lap up the attention.
But even though the star player has not been spotted much around Cowboys HQ this week, it does not mean he is not doing his part for the team – especially for halves pairing Michael Morgan and Te Maire Martin.
The duo have lead the Cowboys through their finals run, but both admit they were helped by Thurston’s guidance and influence.
Martin, who only arrived at the club in June, said that both Thurston and his coskipper Matt Scott have done everything they could to keep the team afloat.
“They’re always around, before games, during training, trying to get the boys up,” Martin said.
“They’ve been there before so it’s good for us young people to see how excited they are and try to push that through to us.
“About once a week I’ll ask (Thurston) about different stuff and I try to be a sponge to take in as much as I can.
“If I can try to get as much of his game into my game as possible, that’s only going to better me as a player. I try to do as much as I can.”
Thurston has done the same for Morgan this season.
While the Queensland utility has come into sensational form towards the back end of this year, he did struggle early on.
But Morgan said Thurston’s encouragement for him to develop his own game and not be the “next JT” went a long way.
“He has helped me improve my own game and he’s told me to play my way, not the way he does,” he said.
“I am improving the player I am. He loves the club and wants to see us do well.”