EXCLUSIVE: Johnathan Thurston backs Todd Payten’s wholesale Cowboys shake-up
As Johnathan Thurston sits eating a hot cross bun, he’s reflective on the big changes the North Queensland Cowboys have made.
Many predicted them to be premiership winners last year, but for a variety of reasons it was a spectacular failure, finishing 11th.
Now there’s new captains, assistant coaches and a new environment in the club that Thurston believes was needed.
“There’s been a lot of change actually, while there’s still the same squad, the coaching staff has changed, with James Maloney as an assistant there and Justin Morgan so they’ll have different styles and structures they’ll look to implement into the team,” he told Wide World of Sports.
“I think that’s what they needed, they needed a freshen up and will certainly get that with James Maloney there.
“I went on a tour with Jimmy so I know what he brings, he’s a winner, he’s a winner wherever he’s gone and that’s what he’ll want to instill into the young people at the Cowboys.”
A larrikin and notoriously not the hardest trainer, Maloney’s persona was famous throughout his playing career.
To think he’d become an assistant coach wouldn’t have been expected for a number of people.
Reminded of that successful Kangaroos 2016 Four Nations tour, Thurston was asked if he ever thought Maloney would end up in a coaching role.
His trademark laugh accompanied his pondering the question for a good five seconds.
“He’s always had the football brain and football nous to be a coach,” he said.
“You don’t want to take personality traits away from people, you want to hone them in the right way and having spent time with Jimmy up there he’s started to put his mark on the team.”
Maloney’s injection into the Cowboys set-up comes as half Tom Dearden and forward Reuben Cotter take over the co-captaincy role from Chad Townsend and Jason Taumololo.
The decision came as a shock from coach Todd Payten with Taumololo only six years into his 10-year-deal.
Thurston believes the decision comes with eyes on the long-term success for the Cowboys.
“Obviously they’re looking to the future,” he said.
“I don’t think Chad or Jason’s roles will change other than the coin toss so Tom and Reuben are signed their long-term and they will certainly need Chad and the rest of the boys in that leadership role to help develop them into great leaders as well.
“They do all the little things right already so the more games they get under their belt in this captaincy role, the more experience they get, they’ll understand how to handle pressure a bit more and it’s a very exciting time to have two homegrown locals from NQ captaining the club.”
