Thurston risks ban for tackle
Brad Walter | September 17, 2007
http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/lhq...9635.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1JOHNATHAN Thurston turned in another stunning performance to help dump the Warriors from the finals in Townsville yesterday, but later admitted he would wait nervously to learn whether he would face a judiciary charge for a dangerous throw.
Playing behind a cut-price forward pack and with his regular partner in crime Matt Bowen appearing limited by a heavily strapped right thigh, Thurston was sensational as he steered the Cowboys to victory before a boisterous 21,847 crowd at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
While the heat may have been a factor, it is clear that any side that gives an opposition with Thurston calling the shots more than 50 per cent of possession is in big trouble, and the Warriors paid a heavy price for their poor ball security.
Like Andrew Johns used to at Newcastle, Thurston can lift his teammates with his mere presence, and rival sides seem to expend so much energy defending against the halfback whiz that they have no spark to do anything meaningful when they get possession.
But few would give the Cowboys hope of toppling Manly next Saturday night if Thurston is unavailable, and the NRL player of the year said he would anxiously await news from the match review committee today to find if had been charged over a dangerous throw on Wairangi Koopu in the fourth minute of the match.
"I didn't think there was much in it, but it's not for me to decide," Thurston said. "I don't think I've really been in this position before so I've just got to wait and see."
North Queensland coach Graham Murray added: "It's something that is out of our control now, particularly myself and Johnathan, so we'll let someone else have a look at it. Johnathan made a tackle, and they've got to have a look at it, I suppose".
While Murray made it clear he wasn't referring specifically to the Thurston incident, Warriors captain Steve Price said the Cowboys would find it difficult to progress any further in the competition if their already hard-hit playing stocks took a further blow.
"It's going to depend on injuries and suspensions and all of that stuff," Price said. "They're going to come up against a Sea Eagles side that is fresh and will be fired up because they're playing for a grand final. It's like this week, do or die - one team leaves the island and the other one keeps going."
