Johnathan Thurston

Johnathan Thurston is a retired player most recently playing for North Queensland Cowboys.

Johnathan Dean Thurston (born 25 April 1983 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer and co-captain of National Rugby League (NRL) team, the North Queensland Cowboys. During his NRL career he has frequently been cited as rugby league's best player. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative half-back and goal-kicker, Thurston is also a two-time Dally M Medal and one-time Wally Lewis Medal winner. Thurston started his career at the Bulldogs where he won the 2004 NRL premiership before moving to the North Queensland Cowboys in 2005, playing in that year's grand final. In 2008 he was named as halfback of the Australian Aboriginal rugby league team of the century. In 2011, he won the Golden Boot Award for the World's best player. Thurston is the only player to have played in all 27 games of Queensland's eight-year State of Origin winning streak from 2006–2013.

Of Indigenous Australian descent, Johnathan Thurston was born in Brisbane and began playing rugby league at a very young age for Souths Sunnybank Rugby League Football Club in Brisbane's southside. Later during his youth he moved to Toowoomba where he attended St. Mary's College, playing rugby league for his school and the Toowoomba Rugby League's All Whites club. Although a stand-out player at school and club level at 18 years of age, none of the National Rugby League clubs were willing to sign the Queenslander, with many citing his small size as a problem. According to Thurston's manager Sam Ayoub, a number of the clubs were not even willing to take him for free. Only St George Illawarra Dragons coach Nathan Brown was willing to sign him but because he was going to play for nothing. Ultimately Ayoub negotiated with the Bulldogs to sign him as he had promised Thurston's mother he would keep an eye on him, and Belmore (the Bulldogs' home ground) was closer to where he lived.

The Bulldogs signed Thurston in the 2001 season for 'nil playing fee'. Once Thurston had the opportunity he was selected for the Queensland U-19 side that year. The following year Thurston's dream became a reality as made his debut in the National Rugby League during Round 13 of the 2002 season (the season the Bulldogs breached the salary cap), coming off the bench for the Bulldogs against the Penrith Panthers. As a specialist in the halves Thurston was stuck in the shadow of star Bulldogs halves pairing Brent Sherwin and Braith Anasta and many of his critics still believed he was still too small in stature to be competitive in the NRL.[citation needed]