Cowboys great Johnathan Thurston is the ultimate fighter
AS we begin the final countdown to his farewell to the game, there will be a lot said about Johnathan Thurston and everything he has done. But through those highlights, the next generation can also see a man who fought so hard for everything he has today.
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THERE is one huge lesson that kids today can take from Johnathan Thurston’s rugby league career.
As we begin the final countdown to his farewell to the game, there will be a lot said about JT and everything he has done.
Highlights will be shown of his greatest moments and his incredible skill.
But through those highlights, I hope the next generation can also see a man who fought so hard for everything he has today.
JT is the ultimate fighter.
He has been attacked on the field more than any other player and it’s always from a bloke my size or bigger.
You can guarantee it’s painful. And yet, every time he gets knocked down, he gets back up again. It’s his greatest strength.
I don’t know what drives him to keep getting up every single time.
But I suspect it’s the same motivation that saw him overcome a lot of rejection in his early playing days from a number of NRL clubs.
And that is the message that should be going around to kids this week.
JT epitomises what it means to get knocked down and then get straight back up.
If he didn’t have that attitude, he wouldn’t be where he is today, being celebrated for his career and regarded as one of the best to pull on a jersey.
Kids need to look at him and know, if you get rejected, just keep getting up. And not just in sport, but with anything in life.
They’re the things I know I’m going to remember about Thurston.
In my career, I had the pleasure of playing under the great Johnny Lang.
He said something to me that I’ll never forget: The great players go in case they’re needed, not because they’re needed.
That sums JT up too.
He’s always there, just in case his teammate misses a tackle or he gets an opportunity to pass the ball.
Watching him play his last home game on Friday night and the things he did, it was unbelievable.
I know I am going to enjoy every part of his final farewell this week.
Some people might already be over it. He’s had more farewells than John Farnham.
But they don’t have to read about him or watch the tributes.
I know I will because he deserves his accolades.
His final farewell will come on Saturday at what I think is going to be a sold out Cbus Super Stadium.
I’m going down to watch it with my family.
I’ve watched him play for years and I certainly don’t want to miss the end of it.
To me swimming great Dawn Fraser is an Olympian, not a former Olympian. If you were once a world champion, you’re still a world champion today, even if someone else holds the title now. That’s the way I’ll always see it.
And Johnathan Thurston? Well, he’ll always be a Cowboys, Queensland and Australian great. Never a “former”.
He is a true rugby league champion.
Originally published as Cowboys great Johnathan Thurston is the ultimate fighter