North Queensland Cowboys v Melbourne Storm: Five things we learned

JOHNATHAN Thurston issues a stark reminder of his brilliance and Kyle Feldt cemented his place as on the most freakish players in the NRL — five things we learned from Cowboys v Storm.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA — FEBRUARY 23: Johnathan Thurston of the Cowboys calls out to his team mates during the NRL trial match and Jonathan Thurston/Cameron Smith Testimonial match between the Melbourne Storm and the North Queensland Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium on February 23, 2018 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

JOHNATHAN Thurston issues a stark reminder of his brilliance and Kyle Feldt cemented his place as on the most freakish players in the NRL.

Here are the five things we learned from the Cowboys’ 16-14 win against the Storm during Friday night’s testimonial clash at Suncorp Stadium.

MATCH REPORT: JT shines in testimonial

CURSE: Storm lose another fullback

1. JT is back, and isn’t it beautiful? Johnathan Thurston gave the NRL a stark reminder of how brilliant he is with a matchwinning performance for the Cowboys.

First, he produced a trademark show-n-go to score in his testimonial game. But it was his final play of the game which pinched victory for the Cowboys and signalled alarm bells for North Queensland’s rivals.

Johnathan Thurston scores a try during the testimonial match.

2. Kyle Feldt is one of the most freakish wingers in the NRL. Feldt scored three tries last night and the first was an absolute special. Feldt somehow latched onto a kick with one hand in torrential rain and later stole victory with another quality catch. If he can consistently play that well then Origin honours should be on his radar.

3. Storm coach Craig Bellamy has an early-season headache with the fullback position. Billy Slater injured his shoulder last week against Leeds and his replacement Jahrome Hughes suffered the same ailment last night. Bellamy will be hoping Slater is on deck for their round-one clash against the Bulldogs.

Kyle Feldt celebrates scoring a try with Ben Hampton.

4. Brodie Croft has a long way to go to be compared to Cooper Cronk. The Cronk lookalike had some nice early touches, having a hand in Young Tonumaipea’s opening try, but the 20-year-old is still learning how to control the ebb-and-flow of an 80-minute contest.

5. Kane Linnett fell victim to the NRL’s crackdown on sloppy play-the-balls when he was penalised in the first set of the game with the Cowboys camped on Melbourne’s line. The players are not responding quick enough to the crackdown and it could cost some teams when the season proper starts.