Foordy
International Captain
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- Mar 4, 2008
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Queensland confirm Johnathan Thurston is out of State of Origin game 1
Greg Davis, The Courier-Mail7 minutes ago
MAROONS superstar Johnathan Thurston has succumb to a shoulder injury and has been ruled out of Origin 1 this Wednesday night.
“I’m devastated I won’t be playing next week, but the call needed to be made and it’s the right decision for the team,” Thurston said in a statement this morning.
Maroons coach Kevin Walters said it was a tough but selfless decision.
“It shows a lot about Johnathan’s character, and what this team means to him, that he’s prepared to move on quickly and get behind Anthony, myself and the rest of the team during such a tough period,” Walters said.
“We knew Johnathan was going to be up against it, but because he has been such a great player for us over many years, we strongly believed he deserved to have that chance to prove his fitness.”
The Cowboys captain backed Anthony Milford to perform on debut against the Blues.
“He’s a dynamic young player and I’m sure he will grab the opportunity with both hands and put in a performance that all of Queensland will be proud of,” Thurston said.
Thurston will stay in Queensland camp is planning to stay on in Maroons camp to mentor Milford.
Maroons doctor Matt Hislop said while Thurston had made progress on his shoulder injury but not enough to play.
“We always had a plan that Johnathan had to pass through a number of stages, and if he ever didn’t progress through one of those, we would sit down and make a call,” Hislop said.
“We did some further objective tests late yesterday which showed he had not progressed to the stage where we could move on to the next step of skill work and contact.”
Jarrod Wallace has been added to the Queensland squad as the 18th man.
“I’m devastated I won’t be playing next week, but the call needed to be made and it’s the right decision for the team,” Thurston said.
Though disappointed, Thurston is looking forward to seeing what Anthony Milford produces on his debut.
“He’s a dynamic young player and I’m sure he will grab the opportunity with both hands and put in a performance that all of Queensland will be proud of,” the Cowboys playmaker said.
The withdrawal ends a remarkable run of 36-straight Origin appearances for Thurston who injured the shoulder in the Anzac Test and has been racing the clock to prove his fitness.
He said yesterday he was still keen to play but the shoulder was still giving him pain and was not moving freely.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...1/news-story/4adea90783487b3c206dd19d8d56dae4
Greg Davis, The Courier-Mail7 minutes ago
MAROONS superstar Johnathan Thurston has succumb to a shoulder injury and has been ruled out of Origin 1 this Wednesday night.
“I’m devastated I won’t be playing next week, but the call needed to be made and it’s the right decision for the team,” Thurston said in a statement this morning.
Maroons coach Kevin Walters said it was a tough but selfless decision.
“It shows a lot about Johnathan’s character, and what this team means to him, that he’s prepared to move on quickly and get behind Anthony, myself and the rest of the team during such a tough period,” Walters said.
“We knew Johnathan was going to be up against it, but because he has been such a great player for us over many years, we strongly believed he deserved to have that chance to prove his fitness.”
The Cowboys captain backed Anthony Milford to perform on debut against the Blues.
“He’s a dynamic young player and I’m sure he will grab the opportunity with both hands and put in a performance that all of Queensland will be proud of,” Thurston said.
Thurston will stay in Queensland camp is planning to stay on in Maroons camp to mentor Milford.
Maroons doctor Matt Hislop said while Thurston had made progress on his shoulder injury but not enough to play.
“We always had a plan that Johnathan had to pass through a number of stages, and if he ever didn’t progress through one of those, we would sit down and make a call,” Hislop said.
“We did some further objective tests late yesterday which showed he had not progressed to the stage where we could move on to the next step of skill work and contact.”
Jarrod Wallace has been added to the Queensland squad as the 18th man.
“I’m devastated I won’t be playing next week, but the call needed to be made and it’s the right decision for the team,” Thurston said.
Though disappointed, Thurston is looking forward to seeing what Anthony Milford produces on his debut.
“He’s a dynamic young player and I’m sure he will grab the opportunity with both hands and put in a performance that all of Queensland will be proud of,” the Cowboys playmaker said.
The withdrawal ends a remarkable run of 36-straight Origin appearances for Thurston who injured the shoulder in the Anzac Test and has been racing the clock to prove his fitness.
He said yesterday he was still keen to play but the shoulder was still giving him pain and was not moving freely.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...1/news-story/4adea90783487b3c206dd19d8d56dae4
