After being diagnosed with a grade-two medial ligament tear in his left knee, North Queensland Cowboys co-captain Johnathan Thurston will be sidelined for up to six weeks.
Thurston left the field during the second half of Queensland’s 34-24 victory in the State of Origin decider and consulted with well-regarded knee surgeon Dr. Peter Meyers on Thursday morning.
Scans indicated that the Queensland halfback also experienced bone bruising; fortunately, surgery will not be necessary.
He is anticipated to miss five to six matches, beginning with the Cowboys’ matchup against Newcastle Knights tonight.
Thurston confessed that he feared the worst—a season-ending injury—when he was struck in a frightening collision with Maroons teammate Ashley Harrison during the latter stages at Suncorp Stadium.
“I was in a fair bit of pain … I thought it might have been my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament),” Thurston conveyed on Thursday.
“It appeared far worse than it actually is.”
After meeting with Myers, he received the reassuring news that his injury would only keep him out for six weeks.
However, the North Queensland Cowboys co-captain quickly set himself the target of returning in four weeks.
“I wasn’t seriously considering anything until after I had consulted with Pete Myers, who assessed the knee and reviewed the scans,” Thurston explained.
“He suggested I’ll be back on the field in six weeks, and I felt quite relieved—big smile on my face.
“I just need to get focused on rehab and aim for a comeback in four (weeks).”
Although surgery is off the table, Thurston will need to wear a brace and will not participate in NRL action for North Queensland until at least their match against Brisbane Broncos on August 12.
Despite facing this setback, Thurston expressed confidence in his teammates to maintain the Cowboys’ strong performance in his absence and mentioned he plans to return in time for the finals.
“Sitting on the sidelines is the hardest thing to do,” he stated.
“I’ve encountered this situation before and understand what to expect, plus I know the effort required to rehabilitate my knee and meet my desired return timeline.”
Matt Scott, Thurston’s Coyboys co-captain, remarked on the collective responsibility of the squad to step up while their inspirational captain recovers.
“It’s certainly more challenging,” he commented.
“Losing a team’s main ballplayer and primary halfback is a significant blow, but our position on the ladder is fairly strong at fourth.
“We just have to continue playing good football in his absence and hope to have him back in six weeks, gearing up for finals.”
No decisions have yet been reached regarding a replacement halfback for the Cowboys-Knights game scheduled for Monday night.
Buford Balony says: Unbelievable, it looked like his leg snapped.