Johnathan Thurston

Johnathan Thurston
AM

Thurston in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Johnathan Dean Thurston
Born	(1983-04-25) 25 April 1983 (age 41) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Playing information
Height	179 cm (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)[1]
Weight	89 kg (14 st 0 lb)[1]
Position	Halfback, Five-eighth
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2002–04 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 29 10 0 0 40 2005–18 North Queensland Cowboys 294 80 923 16 2182 Total 323 90 923 16 2222 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2005–17 Queensland 37 5 99 2 220 2006–17 Australia 38 13 165 0 382 2009 Prime Minister's XIII 1 0 7 0 14 2010–17 Indigenous All Stars 1 17 0 38
Source: [2]

Johnathan Dean Thurston AM (born 25 April 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the National Rugby League (NRL).^[3][4] Thurston was an Australian international, Queensland State of Origin and Indigenous All Stars representative, playing at halfback or five-eighth, and was a noted goal-kicker. Thurston has been an assistant coach of the Queensland rugby league team since 2021.

Johnathan Thurston started his career at the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, where he won the 2004 NRL premiership. He moved to the North Queensland Cowboys in 2005, playing in that year's grand final. In that year, he made his debut for Queensland, before making his Australian debut in 2006. He was the 2008 Wally Lewis medalist for State of Origin player of the series. Also in 2008, he was named as halfback of the Australian Aboriginal team of the century. Thurston was the only player to play in all 24 games of Queensland's eight-year State of Origin winning streak from 2006, having played 36 consecutive Origin matches from his debut in 2005. Thurston broke the record for most points in State of Origin history during the 2015 State of Origin series when smashing New South Wales 52–6. Also in 2015, Thurston co-captained the North Queensland Cowboys, along with teammate Matt Scott, to their inaugural NRL Premiership. He was also the 2015 Clive Churchill Medallist for grand final man of the match.

In 2015, he became the first ever four-time Dally M Medallist for the NRL season's best player, and later that year became the first ever three-time winner of the Golden Boot Award for the World's best player. In 2018, Thurston retired from playing rugby league, and founded and launched the Johnathan Thurston Academy (JTAcademy) of which is he now the Managing Director. The JTAcademy provides a forum which encourages Australian youths to access the educational and vocational resources needed to secure meaningful employment.