State of Origin 2016: Johnathan Thurston reassessing retirement plans after Maroons victory

AFTER what he called the greatest win of his Origin career, Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston has admitted to thinking about his retirement.

JOHNATHAN Thurston may shelve representative retirement plans after admitting he cannot walk away from a Queensland team that produced the greatest win of his Origin career.

The champion Queensland playmaker was planning to quit rep football after next year’s World Cup to dedicate his final season in 2018 to his club side the Cowboys.

But the Maroons’ braveheart 6-4 victory over NSW in Origin I on Wednesday night convinced Thurston to let his heart rule his head.

Thurston acknknows how hard the Maroons worked for this win.

Playing his 34th consecutive Origin game, Thurston rated the two-point win the greatest of his 11-year interstate career and says he is having second thoughts about giving up his Maroon jumper.

“I was only thinking about it (playing on for Queensland in 2018) during the week,” Thurston said.

“I love everything about Queensland. I love the week, I love the boys and I love the culture this team has built over the years.

“I’ve been such a big part of that so it’s going to be tough to walk away.

“While I do have my mind set on hanging the rep boots up (next year after the World Cup), my heart is now telling me differently.’’

Thurston is the second-most successful player in Origin history after his 22nd win on Wednesday night, just one behind skipper Cameron Smith.

The pivot has orchestrated some mighty wins, headlined by the sight of him being pushed onto Suncorp Stadium in a wheelchair after injuring his knee in the 2011 decider.

But Thurston is adamant Wednesday night’s performance was the finest triumph of his Origin career after the Maroons amassed 314 tackles to keep NSW scoreless for the final 55 minutes.

“It was the best win I’ve been involved in with Origin,” he said.

Pressed on whether he truly believed that, Thurston said: “Yep, 100 per cent. I honestly feel it was our best win in my time.

“I’m not sure what our possession was in the second half but it felt like all we did was tackle and tackle.

“I can’t remember defending like that in an Origin game. It didn’t seem like we had any possession in the second half, but we just kept coming up with big plays and that’s what Origin is about.”

A huge team effort made this win even more important.

Thurston again underlined his instinctive brilliance when he opted to run the ball on the last tackle in the movement that led to Dane Gagai’s try.

“It wasn’t a planned play,” he said. “I could see their winger hanging back. I saw we had some numbers there with Darius (Boyd) chiming in, so it was a great play by Justin O’Neill to tip the ball on to Gagai.

“It (their team spirit) is built on the guys that came before us. We work hard for each other and keep continuing that Queensland tradition of never giving up.’’