Johnathan Thurston has taken up a mentoring role with Brisbane young gun Tom Dearden

Johnathan Thurston will be the Broncos secret weapon this season with the former North Queensland and Maroons legend to take a mentoring role with one of Brisbane’s up and coming stars.

Tom Dearden (centre) in action during Brisbane Broncos training at Clive Berghofer Field in Brisbane, Friday, February 22, 2019. The Broncos are playing the Wynnum-Manly Seagulls in a pre-season trial match on Saturday at Kougari Oval in Brisbane. (AAP Image/Darren England) NO ARCHIVING

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Queensland champion Johnathan Thurston has emerged as the secret weapon in the development of a Broncos 17-year-old halfback whiz-kid being hailed the NRL’s next “JT”.

The Courier-Mail can reveal recently-retired Cowboys superstar Thurston is providing career mentoring to Tom Dearden as the Broncos teenager turns up the heat on first-choice Brisbane halfback Kodi Nikorima.

Dearden scored two solo tries in a sparkling trial debut against Souths Logan last week and will wear the Broncos No.7 jumper made famous by Allan Langer in Saturday’s clash against Wynnum Manly at Kougari Oval.

Despite his slender frame and baby-faced features, Dearden can already bench-press 120kg. His high-school coach Aaron Zimmerle, who formerly called the shots with Tweed Heads in the Intrust Super Cup, rates Dearden the best playmaking talent he has seen in 20 years.

Dearden is one of the best up and coming playmakers in the game. AAP Image/Darren England.

Now Dearden has an ace up his sleeve in Thurston. The Broncos rookie has joined the management stable of Sam Ayoub, the long-serving agent who signed Thurston as a 15-year-old and brokered his first NRL contract with the Bulldogs.

Thurston worked with Dearden during Queensland’s junior Origin camp in January, imparting the wisdom, tips and tricks that swept the Cowboys legend to a record four Dally M Medals.

“Tom has the perfect mentor in JT,” Ayoub said.

“He is a very different player to Johnathan, but he has great maturity and skill for a 17-year-old.

“I took Tom to watch JT for his last game against the Titans last year, he has always idolised JT and now he is spending time with him.

Thurston will teach Dearden everything he knows. AAP Image/Darren England.

“Thurston has been doing some work with him. He met up with Tom as the recent QAS development camp, so he’s taken him under his wing.

“I’m always wary of talking up kids too early but he is one of the more exciting ones I’ve seen.”

The blond-haired Dearden was outstanding in Warwick last week. He scored one of his two tries deploying a Thurston-like show-and-go and showed confidence beyond his tender years as he barked at Brisbane’s forwards and organised their attack.

While Thurston was consistently snubbed by NRL clubs, including the Broncos, as a teenager, Brisbane had to win a tug of war to retain Dearden.

What better teacher could Dearden ask for? Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.

The kid from Mackay was chased by six NRL rivals last year but stayed loyal, signing a three-year extension with the Broncos.

Broncos scouts believe Dearden could be playing NRL within 12 months, with coach Anthony Seibold highly impressed by his work ethic.

“Tommy shows a lot of promise, there is no doubt about that,” he said.

“I am loathe to talk him up too much. He has got a lot to learn but from what I see at training and what he showed against Souths-Logan, which was essentially his first game against men, it shows that he has got a lot of ability.

“He’s got a good attitude. The assistant coaches tell me he is forever asking for feedback.

“He’s really a baby as an NRL half, so he’s a project for us to try and help improve.”