All hail Johnathan Thurston – the Lionel Messi of rugby league

Alex Broun 10:35 26/06/2017
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  • Johnathan “JT” Thurston (C)

    Much to the chagrin of other sporting codes down under rugby league fans like to call their game “the greatest game of all”. Indeed, they even have a song about it. (Google it if you don’t believe me!)

    But if rugby league is the “greatest game of all” – and I’m not saying it is – then many might say that Johnathan “JT” Thurston is the “greatest player of all.”

    It’s a big call but the 34-year-old deserves all the plaudits he gets – and then some. He’s won everything there is to win in the game – multiple times: the Dally M Player of the Year (2005, 2007, 2014, 2015), World Golden Boot Award (2011, 2013, 2015), State of Origin all-time highest point scorer and State of Origin most consecutive matches: 36 (2005-2016) – a run broken when he missed the first match of this year’s series.

    The greatest players make their team-mates play better simply by being on the field/court – Michael Jordan, Lionel Messi, Tom Brady – to name a few.

    Thurston certainly fits into that bracket, although his bank account would be missing quite a few zeroes compared with the trio mentioned. Also due to league’s relatively low global profile, Thurston doesn’t enjoy the acclaim he should.

    If you want an example of the Thurston effect look at this year’s State of Origin. He was absent from game one in Brisbane, breaking his long run of consecutive matches, and Queensland fell to their biggest ever home loss – savaged 28-4.

    He returned, perhaps prematurely, for game two in Sydney and despite playing with one arm for much of the match, inspired the Maroons to a comeback 18-16 victory – including landing the winning conversion from near the touchline with the clock winding down.

    It was a performance that was “Messi-like” – the comparison has been made before.

    Rugby League World editor Joe Whitley once wrote: “He’s rugby league’s answer to Lionel Messi and we are lucky to be able to witness his brilliance.” As unlikely as it may sound there are similarities between the sportsmen. Like Messi, Thurston was once written off for being too small to make it in his chosen sport – though the Queenslander is a full four inches bigger than his round ball compatriot (1.79m to 1.70m).

    Both are also virtually one club players, showing unusual loyalty in this era where players change clubs as often as they change luxury cars. Thurston had a few years at the Bulldogs in Sydney before linking up with the North Queensland Cowboys in 2005, taking them to their first ever premiership a decade later.

    Lionel Messi

    Lionel Messi.

    Messi began at Newell’s Old Boys in his native Argentina before joining Barca in 2001, where he has remained ever since – taking them to the apex of world football.

    The way Thurston and Messi play is also similar with both players, like many of the best, seeming to have more time than others on the pitch and with the uncanny ability to take the right option and make the big play – just when it is needed most.

    Thurston has been a huge part of the all-conquering Queensland team of the last decade – a side almost All Blacks like in their dominance of State of Origin.

    So understandably there was considerable disappointment over the weekend when it was confirmed that JT would miss the final match of this year’s series as well as the upcoming rugby league World Cup – based in Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand from October to December.

    Thurston is expected to play for his club next year but (at this stage) we won’t see him again in the maroon of Queensland or green and gold of Australia. Of course he may be tempted to pull on one or both jerseys again – as we’ve learnt watching professional sport over many years, “retired” is a flexible term.

    For fans of his teams he will be greatly missed, while for fans of his opponents there will be a sigh of relief – as they will know the chances of their team winning have been greatly enhanced.

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