NRL great Thurston joins LNP's Chiesa to relive Cowboys premiership
With less than a week to the election, the LNP is throwing everything it has at Hinchinbrook, recruiting league icon Johnathan Thurston and exposing rival’s links to under-fire former union boss.
The LNP is throwing everything it has at winning Hinchinbrook, enlisting Townsville’s most famous footballer and unearthing old political donations to besmirch another political hopeful who previously took donations from the CFMEU.
Former Triple M NRL radio caller Wayde Chiesa has reunited with Rugby League royalty Johnathan Thurston in order to relive the magic moment the North Queensland Cowboys secured their maiden premiership ten years ago.
The last time Thurston participated in a political campaign he ran The Strand with former Labor leader Bill Shorten.
In a video posted to his campaign social media page, Mr Chiesa called the 2015 Grand Final a “career highlight” for him.
Thurston, whose last-minute heroics won the match in golden point, said he was experiencing goosebumps all over again as he sat down and prepared to re-watch the footage.
“Jase gets tackled too close, so there’s too much pressure, hit Coote – he comes towards the sideline and I’m freaking out going ‘get back toward the middle’,” Thurston says as the lead-up to his famous field goal plays out.
The two men share a laugh – and a beer – as they re-watch the footage, which ends with a moment of Mr Chiesa’s radio-call of the play-by-play.
“Nico and I – calling that – we’re jumping up and down,” Mr Chiesa remembers.
Thurston – who was previously sounded out by Labor for a run at the seat of Herbert but knocked the offer back – has steadfastly refused to enter the world of politics, stops short of formally endorsing the LNP candidate, but instead “wishes him all the best”.
“I just want to wish you all the best with what’s coming up as well …”
Mr Chiesa signs off by reminding voters of the ballot to be held on Saturday.
This comes as the LNP has again tried to remind people of Mark Molachino’s links to Labor, saying he took donations from the CFMEU when he was running for council.
The former deputy mayor is running for Katter’s Australian Party in Hinchinbrook.
Mr Molachino has never denied being a Labor member, and said he relinquished his membership shortly after he left council.
He has previously said that he was a member of KAP before he joined the Labor Party.
Electoral Commission of Queensland documents show Team Jenny Hill received a $3020 donation from the CFMEU, which came from Michael Ravbar.
The email associated with donation was Mr Molachino campaign address.
When asked about the donation, Mr Molachino said he had no idea he’d received funds from the CFMEU, and said he didn’t know Ravbar but appreciated that he was in the media a lot at the moment.
Mr Ravbar has recently been accused in a commission of inquiry of running the CFMEU in Queensland like his own personal kingdom for more than a decade.
During his time in the CFMEU, a deal he was responsible for led to $50m of member fees being paid to an “unlawful body”, an ongoing inquiry heard.
Mr Ravbar has denied wrongdoing.
Mr Ravbar’s legal counsel is expected to examine the claims against him at some time in 2026.
Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said every vote mattered this election.
“Mark Molachino owes his political career to the CFMEU,” he said.
Mr Molachino said he had a campaign manager during the first council elections, which managed donations for him.
“All I know is we had to put $10,000 each ourselves to pay for our campaigns and we had a campaign manager and a team managing all of that for us,” he said.
“I don’t know anything about it to be honest, I wasn’t even in the Labor Party then … I’ll have to plead ignorance.”
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Originally published as NRL great Thurston joins LNP's Chiesa to relive Cowboys premiership
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