Like Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston, John Sutton deserves a testimonial match

IF Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston are entitled to a testimonial, then the man on target to become the first player in South Sydney’s history to crack the 300-match milestone is worthy of a tribute game too.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 23: North Queensland player Johnathan Thurston and Melbourne player Cameron Smith laugh after the NRL trial match and Jonathan Thurston/Cameron Smith Testimonial match between the Melbourne Storm and the North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium on February 23, 2018 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)

JOHN Sutton has a rabbit tattooed on his foot.

It comes up in conversation every time South Sydney’s most capped player sits down to negotiate a new deal.

His long-time manager Steve Gillis explained: “He’d say to me, ‘let’s start at Souths and finish at Souths. I don’t want to go anywhere’.

“And I’d say to him, ‘What if you have to go? What if they don’t want you?’

“He’d say, ‘let’s start with Souths and finish with Souths’.

“He’d say, ‘Steven’, he calls me Steven, ‘I’ve got a tattoo of a rabbit on my foot. You need to listen. I don’t want to talk about anyone else. I’m not going anywhere. This is my club’.”

The reason we bring this up is because a debate is brewing in the wake of Friday night’s celebration at Suncorp Stadium.

If Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston are entitled to a testimonial, then surely the man on target to become the first player in South Sydney’s famous history to crack the 300-match milestone is also worthy of a tribute game.

Sutton never wanted to play anywhere else. Pic: Mark Evans

Let’s remember, 33-year-old Sutton is also a local junior who will be playing his 15th season for “the pride of the league” in 2018.

And he has already played more games for Souths (283) than any player in 110 years.

It’s an amazing achievement.

But while most might think that should qualify Sutton for his own testimonial, here’s the catch.

The NRL released a strict set of guidelines last year that basically ruled out all but an elite few from having a similar tribute.

It also needs to be noted that these guidelines were only made public after plans of Smith and Thurston’s testimonial were released.

Early on, some people privately fumed this was a salary cap rort.

But the NRL was having none of that.

As it stands, the “incredibly tight” criteria as they called it, requires that a player must have played more than 250 games, as well as representing at State of Origin or in Tests, and have a near-unblemished record.

Sutton’s been at Souths through thick and thin. Pic: AAP

Aside from Smith and Thurston, other current players who would immediately qualify are Melbourne’s Billy Slater, Brisbane’s Sam Thaiday and the Warriors’ Simon Mannering.

Because Sutton never played for played for NSW or Australia, he doesn’t qualify.

But does that make his service to South Sydney any less worthy of recognition?

This is a player who came into a team in 2004 that claimed two wooden spoons in his first three years, who stuck around long enough to captain the club to its drought-breaking premiership in 2014.

Yet the NRL has backed itself into a corner by establishing guidelines that would rule Sutton out as well as players like Parramatta’s Tim Mannah and Wests Tigers’ Chris Lawrence, who have also been wonderful servants for their clubs.

While Mannah and Lawrence both meet the representative requirement, they are on 205 and 208 games respectively, and might struggle to crack 250 because of the toll the game has taken on their bodies.

No doubt both will go into this season not thinking it is their last, but what if it is?

Sutton himself hasn’t made a decision on his future yet.

“Look, you’d always like to go around again,” he told The Saturday Telegraph, “but if I am not playing good or injuries … I would be happy to pull up stumps.”

We asked him about approaching the 300-game milestone.

“With the history of this club, to think that no one has done that before, it is pretty unbelievable,” Sutton added.

The Smith and Thurston testimonial met strict NRL criteria. Pic: Getty Images

While no one can question how much good Smith and Thurston have done for the game, the rules should not be specifically geared towards the elite few.

In the case of Smith and Thurston, they have also benefited by being among the best paid players throughout their careers.

In a competition where the salary cap is crucial in trying to at least keep the perception of fairness, this just doesn’t stack up.

The problem for the NRL is that if they go back on the guidelines they only released last year, they will have egg on their face, again.

Asked if Sutton should qualify for a testimonial, Gillis said: “I don’t know and it is a good point because he is every bit as worthy as the others.

“If we are judging testimonials on how good a player they are then we are judging them for the wrong reasons.

“And I am not saying that those other guys haven’t done wonderful things for the game on and off the field.

“But this bloke has done every bit as much for Souths as a footballer and as a community servant.

“It is my intention to make sure that if he retires this year he goes out rightfully acknowledged.”

And so he should.

Originally published as Like Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston, John Sutton deserves a testimonial match