Johnathan Thurston’s contract extension cost Cowboys Te Maire Martin’s signature

JOHNATHAN Thurston’s longevity cost North Queensland the signature of gun rookie Te Maire Martin and on Saturday he can prove he did not need to wait his turn.

Panther's Te Maire Martin during the round 3 NRL game between the Penrith Panthers and the Brisbane Broncos at Pepper Stadium , Penrith .Picture Gregg Porteious

JOHNATHAN Thurston’s longevity cost North Queensland the signature of gun rookie Te Maire Martin and on Saturday the halfback can prove he did not need to wait his turn.

The Cowboys were close to signing Panthers 20-year-old Martin, who scored a matchwinning try on debut this season.

Martin has been compared to a young Benji Marshall and the Cowboys viewed him as the man to replace Thurston when he retired.

They were days away from signing him last winter when Martin and his management read a News Corp story about Thurston extending his contract beyond 2017 and decided they did not want to wait that long.

Martin signed with Penrith, hooker James Segeyaro suffered an injury, Peter Wallace moved to hooker and Martin was thrust into the No. 6 jersey two years before he would have at North Queensland.

Martin, 20, has suggested in his three NRL games he was right to bypass his apprenticeship and take a punt on handling first grade.

Against the Cowboys in Penrith on Saturday, he can prove it.

“He won’t get too many better initiations. He is up against a very good opposition and I am happy with him,” Panthers coach Anthony Griffin said.

“He’s doing a good job defensively. The last 20 minutes last week he started to show some confidence.’’

Johnathan Thurston’s longevity meant Te Maire Martin knocked back a Cowboys contract.

Thurston will wear a North Queensland jersey as long as he wants to but it will remain difficult to sign a replacement.

Teen prodigy Kalyn Ponga has trained in the halves and is an option if he stays at North Queensland.

The Cowboys follow the Broncos’ experiment with Kodi Nikorima, developing a young utility into a half.

But the Broncos face a battle to keep Nikorima after his brother Jayden followed Martin’s path and backed himself for a starting spot at the Roosters rather than learning for another year or two.

Cowboys five-eighth Michael Morgan said Martin was a rare talent.

“He’s a key player for them at the moment,” Morgan said.

“He’s playing well (and) he’s full of confidence. They have players who can do special things.

“Usually you look at players from other games and you can see the things they do week-to-week and their weaknesses.

“You can only judge him on a couple of games. There are still things I am sure he can do that people haven’t seen yet.’’