A young Johnathan Thurston was considered too skinny, too slow and too wild to play professional rugby league. As a teenager he was knocked back by club after club.
Today he is heralded as one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Known to his Townsville fans as ‘The King in the North’, Thurston became the first four-time Dally M Medallist (best player in the NRL), as well as the first three-time winner of the Rugby League Golden Boot Award (best player in the world). He co-captained the Cowboys to their maiden premiership in 2015 and was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for his heroics in the grand final.
However it is his work off the field, of which he is most proud, and which has ensured his lasting legacy. In 2015 James Cook University awarded Thurston a Doctor of Letters, recognising his contribution to charity and communities in North Queensland. In 2017, he won the Australian Human Rights Medal for his commitment to improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In 2018 he was named Queensland Australian of the Year and in 2019 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to rugby league and position as a role model.
It’s only fitting that he is immortalised in bronze outside the North Queensland Stadium which his status helped to build.
To log this virtual please take a photo of yourself, your GPS or your caching name with JT
AND
include in your log your fondest memory of him.
(A message to the CO is not required).
For me it has to be the 2015 Grand Final and his ‘never say die’ attitude. I was lucky enough to be present to witness the moment Kyle Feldt crossed in the corner and then JT win it for North Queensland in extra time. I even got to lift the trophy and sit just a few seats away from JT on the plane back to Townsville. Watching the clip still gets me choked up. Magic.
Is that your fondest memory? Maybe you prefer his humanitarian work or how he picks up the kicking tee and hands it to the ballboy or how he gives his headgear away to a young fan after every game regardless of who they support. Is it his unforgettable laugh or his lip-sync of Despasito on the Footy Show that brings a smile to your face? Maybe it's his unique kicking style or maybe you’d prefer to choose one of his many records listed below.
Rugby League Records
Most Dally M Medals: 4 (2005, 2007, 2014, 2015)
Most Golden Boot Awards: 3 (2011, 2013, 2015)
Most RLPA Players' Player Medals: 4 (2005, 2013, 2014, 2015)
Most career points for the Australian test team: 382 (2006–2017)
Most career goals for the Australian test team: 165 (2006–2017)
Most consecutive games in State of Origin: 36 (2005–2017)
Most career points in State of Origin: 220 (2005–2017)
Most career goals in State of Origin: 99 (2005–2017)
Most North Queensland Cowboys Player of the Year Awards: 4 (2005, 2012, 2014, 2015)
Most games for the North Queensland Cowboys: 294 (2005-2017)
Most career points for the North Queensland Cowboys: 2182 (80 tries, 923 goals, 16 field goals)
Most points in a match for the North Queensland Cowboys: 24
Most points in a season for the North Queensland Cowboys: 234 (11 tries, 93 goals, 4 field goals, 2014)
IMMORTAL 20??
Congratulations to BenM70 for the extremely rare virtual FTF.
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Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.