Johnathon Thurston

[boxhead]

Hey guys, a Cowboys fan here
I just wanted to publicly thank Johnathon Thurston for all the great stuff he has done over the years; he is my favourite player not because of what he does on the field, but because of how kind and good with the fans he is.

I was at the Sharks/Cowboys game on Saturday cheering on the Cowboys (which created some interesting situations as I was surrounded by Sharks fans!), and after the game I went down to the tunnel and leaned on the fence waiting patiently to congratulate the boys.

When I saw Johnathon heading over, I wanted to just get a hand-shake, but then I realized my dad was behind me, so I gave him my iPhone and told him to take a picture of me and Johnathon. I called him over as he was heading down the tunnel, and he turned around and came over with a big smile.

He just said "Hey mate, we just have to hurry" because obviously he had to get into the sheds, and me and him posed for the picture.
Get this, my dad had no idea how to use my phone, and we were sitting there for 10 seconds before my Dad said "I can't get this to work!"
Me and Johnathon had a laugh and I grabbed the phone and quickly showed my Dad how to use it.

Me and my dad wasted about 30 seconds of his time, but Johnathon stood there patiently with a lovely smile and we eventually got a great photo together! That, and we got a funny recording of my Dad trying to get the phone working, and me and Johnathon having a laugh!

I just wanted to say, what a great guy and I wish him, and the Cowboys, all the best of luck for this season and for many seasons to come!

-P.S I also got to shake hands with Dallas Johnson, I think he thought I was a weirdo because he shook my hand and I said "Thanks mate, congratulations!" and he walked off with an amused smile on his face!

 

[Shorty]

That's awesome Boxhead.
I'm glad, Thurston is a stand up guy....a lot of people don't like him because he's very passionate and wears his heart on his sleeve but I wouldn't swap him for anyone.

 

[Mig2006]

Played golf with him a few times - top bloke!

 

[Big Pete]

Good to hear you caught JT on a good day.

I've heard mixed reports, namely from friends who would attend the Maroons training day at Langlands back in high school and JT would be really short with them and tell them to f**k off.

This would have been back in 2006 so who knows what was going on.

 

[Phil McGrawhan]

Love how he gives his headgear to one of the kids in the crowd after the game...& he doesnt discriminate...Cows fan or opposition fan.

 

[Talanexor]

Love how he gives his headgear to one of the kids in the crowd after the game...& he doesnt discriminate...Cows fan or opposition fan.

He really should discriminate. That little snot from Parramatta got his headger last year and threw it away because he didn't want it!

 

[W.Smith]

He really should discriminate. That little snot from Parramatta got his headger last year and threw it away because he didn't want it!

i got pissed off when i saw that !!

im a massive Thurston fan, love the bloke and love watching him play. I met him when he was playing for Canterbury, he was in Reserves at the time and he came into the pub we were staying at for work at Greenacre and we were watching the footy on tv and i sed to my mates "that John Thurston there" and my mate Jimbo goes "bullshit" so i called to him "hey Johnno, how ya doin'" and he sed "how ya going mate" and came over and shook hands and talked for a minute or so before he took off

2 weeks later we were staying at the same pub and me and my roomy were just hanging out front of our room when Thursto turns up again and parks his car and as he gets out he yells "hey big fella, how you goin' mate", i was stoked Lol

im also a massive fan of how he treats the kids, especially those kicking tee kids who must get a nice little charge when he picks up the tee and hands it to them after he kicks for goal and ive seen him pat them on the back sometimes, great stuff

i read in RLW or Big League that current five eighth Ray Thompson used to be his kicking tee kid a few years ago

 

[W.Smith]

just found this online today on the SMH website

We all learn plenty about footballers by watching them when the cameras are rolling, when they do what they are paid and trained to do. But the best way you can learn about how they operate as people is when the cameras aren't present, when they do things for no pay.

The problem with viewing Johnathan Thurston through a lens is that he will always appear one-dimensional. But the other facets of the Kangaroos halfback are equally interesting, if maybe not as entertaining.

Not long after Thurston had been interviewed on the field after helping the Cowboys to victory against Penrith in a round-two NRL match last year, he walked off Dairy Farmers Stadium and spotted a young Penrith fan who was crying.

It's likely the boy was upset because of Thurston, as it was the playmaker who orchestrated the win. So he sat with the boy for several minutes, talked to him and stopped his tears, while his teammates began their celebrations in their dressing-room.
Many people have an opinion of Thurston as a brilliant footballer with off-field baggage. They combine visions of him tearing apart opposition defences with the footage of him walking sheepishly out of a Brisbane watch-house.

As he prepares for the Test against New Zealand tomorrow night, Thurston feels that picture is far from complete. ''I know how I'm perceived within the playing group, and through the coaching staff and the friends that I've made,'' Thurston said. ''What other people that I don't know think of me is out of my control. You learn to deal with it because you've got no control over it.
''I've learnt to deal with it, so it doesn't affect me.''

Clearly, he wants to have an effect on others. Thurston gave his headgear to the young Penrith fan. It is a ritual he carries out every week. He hands each set of headgear to a young Cowboys supporter or an opposition supporter at the end of every game.

''Since I was back at Canterbury, they've always given me enough headgears to last the year. I hand it out to a kid in the crowd,'' Thurston said. ''The kids get a big kick out of it, that's for sure.''

No big deal. Neither is the fact that, instead of hurling the kicking tee after using it, he always hands it to the ballboy.
''I've always picked the tee up and handed it to the kid,'' Thurston said. ''To me, it's just second nature.''

So is playing rugby league. That is one thing that is difficult to misjudge. While Thurston is clearly misunderstood, there is no doubting the quality of his game. Preparing for his 17th Test, he is peerless in his position.

''I've been very happy with my form,'' he said. ''Whether it's the best form of my career, personally, I'm not too sure. No doubt, I'm enjoying my football. There's 16 other blokes who are performing well as well. I'm just doing my role and doing my job.''
His club is, for now, performing consistently, which is a far cry from previous seasons.

''When your club side's travelling well, you have that confidence when you come into teams like this [the Australian squad] - that you've done everything you need to prepare and give it your best shot,'' Thurston said.
He puts the resurgence of the Cowboys down to a quality-over-quantity philosophy. The players have been spending less time on the training paddock but have ensured they wasted none of that time. Which means they are fresher.
That less-is-more approach lends itself well to Thurston, a player we all think we know but really don't. The less you assume, the more you learn.


Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/rug...man-in-game-20110504-1e8kv.html#ixzz1LP2cqDJ6

 

[gUt]

One thing I notice about Thurston and no one else (that I've noticed). When he kicks for goal he always bends down, picks up the tee and hands it to the ballboy. It's only a little gesture but I think it shows humility.

 

[Ianc]

He's done that every time he has kicked since joining the Cowboys. Once he missed the kick & threw the tee down. It bounced 3 or 4 meteres away & the kid ran to get it. JT stopped him & went & got it himself.

 

[Shorty]

Something that interested me yesterday was a client at work who has two kids in junior football said Darren Lockyer is generally very detached when training in front of people and doesn't speak or spend time with the kids.
Which is interesting because Lockyer's onfield demeanour doesn't indicate this.

I think a lot of the players people love to hate are quite good to the kids.

 

[Titanic]

I've got nothing against Lockyer but he was schooled by the Mr. Grumpy while JT was educated in the school of hard knocks.

The only problem with this sort of publicity is that what was his personal "go" will now carry some sort of expectation from some sections of the fans. We really can be arseholes sometimes but this is an excellent thread Box.

 

[hellteam]

Thurston is the man. If I had to pick any player to build a team around it would be him.

 

[Warmess]

One thing I notice about Thurston and no one else (that I've noticed). When he kicks for goal he always bends down, picks up the tee and hands it to the ballboy. It's only a little gesture but I think it shows humility.

After reading the OP, I was going to write pretty much this exact post.

Champion player and sounds like a champion bloke too, good on him.

Stuff like this needs to be shown off more, what the players can _actually_ be like.

 

[Dragons01]

After the game yesterday Thurston ran to the other side of the field and handed his headgear to a young Dragons fan(and no he did not throw it back). As he was running off the field(he was the last player off), Gasnier was just in front of him and all the Saints fans in the stand were cheering Gasnier off, Gasnier put his hands up to clap and thank the fans, Thurston who was just behind him was having a laugh and did the same thing. The Saints fans that were left gave him a huge cheer and clapped him off. Nice to see Thurston being appreciated by opposition supporters for what he does.