Gold Coast Titans show Blues how to stop Johnathan Thurston

THE blueprint for beating Queensland may have been unearthed by the Gold Coast, who came up with a game plan that unsettled Johnathan Thurston.

Johnathan Thurston

THE blueprint for beating Queensland may have been unearthed by the Gold Coast, after North Queensland coach Neil Henry admitted that the Titans came up with a game plan that unsettled star playmaker Johnathan Thurston.

In a remark that is certain to have NSW coach Ricky Stuart reaching for every camera angle of the Gold Coast's defensive efforts last Friday, Henry said the Titans had stifled the five-eighth from playing with his usual dominance in the 28-12 loss at Skilled Park.

The Cowboys had complete control of the ball for the opening seven minutes of the game but never once looked like scoring as the Titans scrambled in defence to repel every attack by Thurston and his lethal ball runners.

Several times the Titans players rushed up in Thurston's face when he was standing a few passes wide of the ruck, knowing the ball was almost certainly coming in his direction.

"We were stifled," Henry said.

"We didn't take the right options with our attack.

"We didn't stay where we should have stayed to get momentum a few times.

"They read Johnathan's plays pretty well. It was a style of defence against him and we didn't adapt our game to defend that.

"We got very lateral, pushed to the sidelines, and that's not our go. We normally can play the middle third of the field well with our pack.

"We just didn't have the spark around the ruck we needed.

"Our error rate was too high to stay in the contest."

The inability of North Queensland to convert pressure into points has left Henry with something to ponder as the players enter their first bye of the season with a 7-6 record.

Hooker James Segeyaro will have scans on an injured ankle tomorrow. Early signs are that it's not broken but he is unlikely to be fit to play their next clash on Friday week against Brisbane.

With both clubs expected to have up to five players each involved in State of Origin II in Sydney two days earlier, Henry said it was likely he would rest some players for the derby, most likely Matt Scott and Brent Tate.

"We have to see how they come through and how they're feeling mentally and physically," Henry said.