Thurston shines to complete rout

AUSTRALIAN clubs completed a Super League whitewash for the second successive year as the World Club Series followed an all- toofamiliar pattern. Depleted Leeds restored some pride with a spirited first-half display against North Queensland Cowboys in front of a 19,778 crowd at Headingley yesterday, before collapsing after the break and conceding 34 points.

With a try, and a hand in pretty much everything else, the Graham Murray man of the match award, named in honour of the former Cowboys and Leeds coach, went to Johnathan Thurston, who underlined his status as the game’s best player with 14 points.

As the Rhinos eventually went the way of St Helens against Sydney and Wigan against Brisbane, the aggregate score of 118-28 over the threematch series summed up the gulf between Super League and the NRL and will no doubt prompt a series of inquests. Yet Leeds, bottom of Super League after making their worst start to a season for 16 years and without seven players through injury, gave as good as they got in the first 40 minutes.

A series of early offloads from prop Adam Cuthbertson set the pattern for the Rhinos’ enterprising play and he got acting captain Rob Burrow over for his team’s try. Alas, it was all downhill from there.

Michael Morgan had opened the scoring and Kane Linnett, Kyle Feldt, Lachlan Coote, Thurston and Justin O’Neill — on two occasions — also crossed to confirm the Cowboys as the best club side in the world for the first time.

Leeds’ Mitch Garbutt was sent off late on for punching James Tamou.