Cowboys weather formidable Storm

IT was the moment that sparked a run to the club’s maiden premiership and unsurprisingly it came from the boot of the club’s greatest hero.

On a warm night in Townsville, the right boot of Johnathan Thurston came to the fore with two field goals to steal a thrilling golden-point victory over the infallible Melbourne Storm.

It was a turning point for the Cowboys.

After an insipid start to the season, and a 40point thumping at the hands of Queensland rivals Brisbane the week before, their season was in dire straits after three straight defeats.

The pressure was also mounting on the team and coaching staff.

But they would not show it on the field, with a never-say-die performance that typified Thurston’s career delivering an unlikely win.

After trailing 16-4 at the break, the Cowboys rallied in the second half before a Cooper Cronk field goal appeared to put their resistance to rest in the 72nd minute creating a seven-point buffer.

But much like they would in the season decider, the Cowboys continued to fight and it was the extra effort of Michael Morgan who sent Matthew Wright over in the corner that gave them hope.

Up to the plate stepped the side’s mercurial leader. “I remember it like it was yesterday, just because of the way the game went,” Thurston said.

“That kick from the sideline, everything in my head was clear. I knew the enormity of the kick and what it meant for our season.

“We didn’t have much time on the clock, so I kicked it quicker than I would normally take. But it was one that as soon as I kicked it, I knew it was over. “I knew then we had given ourselves an opportunity.”

A penalty on the next set helped the Cowboys down the field, before Thurston snapped a field goal on the second tackle to level the scores in the 79th minute.

Maroons teammates, Thurston and Cronk, would trade field goal attempts through the opening half of extra time. But it was the Cowboys maestro who got the better of the battle getting a wobbly attempt away under immense pressure.

The emotion and jubilation washed over the players as they realised what they had achieved in front of 11,000 diehard fans.

“It felt like we had turned our season, without a doubt,” Thurston said. “It was just huge. Melbourne don’t lose when they are seven points up with five minutes to go.

“We ended up going on to win our next 11. It was huge in the context of the season.

“There was a lot of pressure on us. The Broncos had put 40-odd points on us down at Suncorp. We played bad that night, we defended terribly.

“Then you come up against the Storm side that has been the best club in the last 15 years. The pressure was immense, the win was huge. It was one of my favourite memories.”

It had been a grinding performance by the Cowboys with their engine room working overtime through the middle of a tough Melbourne pack.

Like he has on many occasions, Jason Taumalolo led the way with 237 metres as every member of the pack including Scott Bolton (144) off the bench surpassed 100m with the ball.

While Thurston pulled the strings at halfback, with four line-break assists and a try-assist, halves partner Michael Morgan also starred with a line break, line-break assist and the final try-assist.

It was an emotion-charged night for Antonio Winterstein who returned to the field for the first time after the loss of younger brother Francis to score a double.

Morgan said the win just gave the Cowboys the belief they needed to be a dominant force in the competition and to go on the run to their historic premiership win.

“We got a lot of confidence out of that game, we had to work hard for everything against the Storm,” he said.