Cowboys can’t win a title without Johnathan Thurston, writes Darren Lockyer

THE Cowboys have done a wonderful job to stay in touch with the top four but they are about to discover how tough life without Johnathan Thurston.

Johnathan Thurston in action for the Cowboys.

THE Cowboys have done a wonderful job to stay in touch with the top four but they are about to discover how tough life is at the pointy end of the season without their champion Johnathan Thurston.

The journey starts on Saturday against the Roosters.

This has all the hallmarks of a sudden-death, finals-style clash for the Cowboys. A road trip to Allianz Stadium — the venue which hosted grand finals for a decade — against a star-studded Roosters side that can sniff another premiership.

If Cowboys halves Michael Morgan and Te Maire Martin can dismantle the Roosters, it will give North Queensland a huge shot of self-belief that they can climb the title summit without Thurston.

But for me, the Cowboys are at base camp staring up at Mt Everest. Such is the culture coach Paul Green has built, they will scrap and fight hard. No finals combatant can afford to take them lightly, but when it really counts in clutch moments, they will be missing the best clutch player of them all.

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Johnathan Thurston in action for the Cowboys.

It was Thurston, ice-cool and ferociously competitive, who kicked them to their magical maiden premiership two years ago.

Winning another one without him just seems a bridge too far.

Green deserves credit for keeping the Cowboys in the hunt without his four-time Dally M winner. Let’s also not forget the absence of their chief enforcer Matt Scott, who lasted just two rounds before snapping his ACL.

Most clubs would have fallen apart at the seams by now. The fact North Queensland are on the cusp of the top four is a tribute to Green’s methodology in reducing the reliance on Thurston and compelling the group to take ownership for being a better unit.

In the finals, the great players sense the occasion, relish the stage and rise accordingly.

Melbourne have out-and-out matchwinners in Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk. The Broncos have got Darius Boyd and Anthony Milford. The Roosters have six survivors from their 2013 triumph.

Johnathan Thurston celebrates after kicking the winning conversion during game two of the 2017 Origin series.

Hunger won’t be an issue for the Cowboys. There’s no greater motivation for a squad than hearing outsiders saying you can’t win. I’m saying it now. I can’t see the Cowboys winning a premiership without Thurston, but if anything it might motivate Cowboys players to prove the doubters wrong.

Two Cowboys I will be watching closely on Saturday are Michael Morgan and Te Maire Martin.

I like the combination they are building. Martin is an exciting talent but he is still maturing and learning his game management, so it would be unfair to expect him to dominate in the playoffs.

But Morgan is ready for this challenge. His game has gone to another level since his outstanding Origin series and I have seen more confidence in his game. He is more judicious with his kicking. More importantly, he actually wants to take control of a game.

In Jason Taumalolo, the Cowboys still have a forward wrecking ball to win the midfield but without Thurston, I question whether they can put the premiership puzzle together.

Originally published as Cowboys can’t win a title without Johnathan Thurston, writes Darren Lockyer