Cowboys coach Paul Green tells his side to stop relying on Johnathan Thurston

FRUSTRATED Cowboys coach Paul Green has warned players to stop relying on Johnathan Thurston after the club’s latest away debacle against the Eels.

Jonathan Thurston at the final whistle during the NRL round 13 game between the Parramatta Eels and the North Queensland Cowboys at Pirtek Stadium, Parramatta. pic Mark Evans

FRUSTRATED Cowboys coach Paul Green has warned his players to stop relying on Johnathan Thurston after the club’s latest Sydney debacle against the Eels on Friday night.

The Cowboys crashed 18-16 at Pirtek Stadium, botching a golden chance to move into the top-eight and prompting Green to turn up the heat on his non-Origin troops.

The Cowboys’ Origin aces Thurston, Matt Scott, James Tamou and Brent Tate battled bravely against the Eels. But Scott later conceded the quartet were still feeling the effects of arguably the most brutal Origin game in history at Suncorp Stadium 11 days ago.

A dejected Johnathan Thurston at full-time.

The Cowboys’ dismal away record — they have lost all six road trips this season — was only one concern for Green. He is equally bothered by the collective contributions of a team critics believe are a one-man show that splutters when Thurston isn’t at his magical best.

“We can’t just rely on ‘Johnno’ to pull us out,” a disappointed Green said. “I was always worried about this game with our Origin players.

“I wasn’t worried so much how they would back up last week (against Melbourne) but this was worrying.

“They were a little bit flat, but it’s up to the rest of the guys to have a better effort than what we produced so we aren’t always relying on the Origin guys to carry us as a team.”

The match effectively represented a four-point game because the Cowboys have the bye next week. And while they remain just one win outside the top eight, North Queensland are bracing for a daunting five-week stretch that could make or break their season.

The Cowboys’ next match is a Monday night road trip to Newcastle, five days after Origin II. They then face big-guns Souths at home, before three consecutive away games against the Dragons, Sharks and ladder leaders Canterbury.

With Scott and Tamou below their best, Parramatta bullied the Cowboys pack. The Eels charged for 1593 metres compared to the Cowboys’ 1412 as Scott (123m) and Tamou (113m) struggled to reach their standards of excellence.

Originally published as Cowboys coach Paul Green tells his side to stop relying on Johnathan Thurston