Cowboys half Johnathan Thurston has set the bar high for his team-mates in season 2012, saying that if the club lose in the first round of the finals to the Broncos, that their entire season will go down as a huge failure.
With the Cowboys yet to win a premiership since they entered the competition, Thurston says that he is eager to do whatever he has to, to make sure that that happens in 2012.
With no-one giving the Cowboys much of a chance, they are rated as the darkhorse of this years competition, though the club would not tolerate a similar result like last years finals, that saw them lose badly to Manly in week 1.
“It would be very disappointing to lose to them,” Thurston said yesterday.
“To be honest, it would be a failure in my eyes if we exit in the first round.
“We had a fairly disruptive preparation last year, we had to fly the whole squad down last year for the Dally Ms, we stayed in Sydney the whole week which wasn’t ideal and we got flogged by Manly.
“But we have done things differently this time, so hopefully that’s a good start.
“There’s some good teams in the finals this year but for me there is a special feel about this team.
“We are building on what we produced last year and we’ve had a fairly consistent year, so I want to keep this going.”
Approaching his 30th birthday, Thurston knows that time is running out for the Townsville-based club, to win a premiership.
“It’s been a long time between drinks for me,” he says.
“No doubt that (winning premierships) is what you play the game for.
“It wouldn’t just mean a lot to me but it would mean a lot to the people of North Queensland, they have endured a lot of tough times throughout the 15 years or so years that the club has been in the competition.
“We have had a fair bit of success but it would be great for the club to go all the way.
“This is the healthiest our club has pulled up after an Origin series which is a good sign.
“We have a fairly healthy roster at the moment, players are fighting for positions which is a great sign for the club.”
Despite his keenness to win, however, Thurston knows that the Broncos will be up for the contest, and will come out all guns blazing.
“They have plenty to play for,” he said.
“It wasn’t a great win against Penrith but they did enough and that’s all you need when you are struggling.
“You just need that one win and it lifts your confidence, they will be confident coming up to Dairy Farmers, they have had a lot of success at our ground over the years.
“They have got their backs to the wall and that’s when they will be at their most dangerous.
“They have a star-studded line-up, if you do anything wrong they will make you pay.
“It doesn’t get any bigger, it will be a promoter’s dream against the Big Brother Broncos, I’m really looking forward to it.”