Johnathan Thurston takes blame for Cowboys’ loss to Cronulla Sharks after rare off-night

COWBOYS players have vowed to help Johnathan Thurston after the star halfback blamed himself for a loss that could derail their minor premiership bid.

Johnathan Thurston of the Cowboys. Cronulla Sharks Vs North Qld Cowboys at Remondis stadium Cronulla, round 22 Saturday 8th August 2015. Pic: Mitch Cameron

COWBOYS players have vowed to help Johnathan Thurston after the champion halfback blamed himself for a loss on Saturday that could cost North Queensland their maiden minor premiership.

Renowned as his harshest critic, Thurston took responsibility after being gutted by a rare off-night in the Cowboys’ 30-18 capitulation against Cronulla.

The Maroons ace missed tackles which led to two tries before launching the mistimed crosskick which saw Gerard Beale streak 92m for the matchwinner at Remondis Stadium.

Thurston finished the match with six missed tackles _ his highest count for a single fixture this season and a major increase on his 2015 average of 2.5 misses per game.

The Cowboys star showed his competitive fight by hitting back with two try-assists and a line break, but he is craving standards of excellence in the run to the finals.

Cowboys fullback Lachlan Coote later revealed Thurston’s personal frustration, which could spell trouble for premiers South Sydney this Thursday night in Townsville.

“Johnno is the ultimate competitor and after the game, he put all the blame on himself,” Coote said.

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“That’s the worst thing he could do.

“There are 12 other players out there. I told him later it’s not his fault and he needs to keep his head up.

“It’s typical JT, he was blaming himself. But most of the boys made mistakes out there. I made a few errors, he made a couple, but he’s so hard on himself that he really takes it to heart. I guess that’s why he is a great player.

“But we have a short turnaround coming into the Souths game so we can’t dwell on one loss too much _ we just have to focus on the weeks ahead.”

Johnathan Thurston blamed himself for the Cowboys’ loss to the Sharks.

It is some measure of Thurston’s brilliance this season that he could produce four consecutive shockers and still celebrate a record fourth Dally M Medal next month.

But team objectives, not personal glory, are driving Thurston, who is hellbent on delivering the Cowboys’ maiden title after his grand-final heartache in 2005.

Rangy centre Kane Linnett, who played for the Roosters in the 2010 NRL decider, believes the Cowboys’ most important player needs more support.

“Definitely, we need to help JT,” Linnett said.

“Sometimes he takes a lot on his shoulders, but there are plenty of players around him who can help him a bit more.

“It’s not a worry. Johnno has been in awesome form and he’ll bounce back next week.”

On the eve of the Sharks clash, Thurston told The Courier-Mail he had unfinished business _ breaking the Cowboys’ 20-year premiership drought.

“If I said winning a comp wasn’t what was driving me, I’d be talking s---,” he said.

“I’m turning up everyday to training with the boys because I want to put this club in a great position ... that’s what’s driving me to win a grand final.”