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Message: [QUOTE="Big Pete, post: 2711047, member: 1899"] [B]NRL 2005 Round 3 New Zealand Warriors vs North Queensland Cowboys[/B] I've been meaning to watch this match for awhile. My plan with that JT thread was to go back and watch through a bunch of old games to see how his game has evolved over time. Fortunately, his entire career is available online if you know where to look so it's easy to chart his carer. Now this may seem like an obscure game to watch. I don't think I've ever seen anybody talk about it, but this was the first game JT polled 3 Dally M votes, so on the surface, a break-out game. My memory of JT's 2005 is really hazy. Here's a player who forced his way into Origin, won the Dally M and helped his side make their first grand final yet I don't remember him as anything more than a good link man. In my mind, the Cowboys were greater than the sum of their parts, with Bowen being the real point of difference. However, time changes a lot of things and I wasn't as into Rugby League as I am now. The game itself was crazy. It wasn't necessarily a quality game, but like a lot of Raiders games in 2015, there was a lot of 'do or die' Rugby League which made the game gripping. It started off the Warriors being their own worst enemy. Penalty after penalty after penalty allowed the Cowboys to establish a 14-0 lead before the Warriors clawed their way back into make it 14-10 in the shadows of half-time. Unfortunately right as the half-time siren sounded, rookie fullback Jerome Ropati in returning the ball coughed up the pill (got to throw some 'Costo' dialogue in there), allowing Jensen to stroll over for a 20-10 HT lead. Warriors fought their way back and with 12 to go held a 22-20 lead over the Cowboys. With their backs against the wall, the Cowboys needed a huge play to change the course of the game. Up steps JT, with the play of the game. Trapped inside his own 40 on the last, JT spots Ropati standing deep and opts for the chip and chase. The ball bounces perfectly, allowing him to regather and get the ball in support. The ball goes from one side of the field to the other as JT gets the ball for a second time before sending Jensen over for what had to be one of the best tries of 2005. Then at the death, with very little time remaining, JT gets to the loose ball, finds Bowen who breaks through some loose defence to give the Cowboys a 32-22 victory. [B]Harvey Norman Player Highlights: Johnathan Thurston[/B] - I reckon if you compiled a 30 second highlights package, you basically would have captured JT's entire performance. It was evident JT was still trying to figure out his role in the side and wasn't quite confident to take charge and get this team moving forward. Even in terms of kicking, he often deferred to Bowen, Sheppard and Payne. Outside of being relatively quiet, he came up with some huge plays. The opening try came off a break he helped set up and he came up with two try-saving tackles to save the day for the visitors. [B]Did he deserve the 3 points?[/B] It depends on your view of quality v quantity. JT came up with the biggest plays of the game, with the clutch chip and chase being the highlight but for the most part, he was really quiet. In a physical contest where the Warriors tried to bash and barge their way to victory with Paleaaesina and Price, I thought Webb and Rauhihi did a great job of taking them on. In fact, Webb managed to outplay Pricey and for mine was the stand out in this contest. Most of his runs provided the Cowboys with a real roll through in the middle, he came up with about 3 line-breaks and had a strong performance overall. [B] In a nut-shell:[/B] A bash and barge contest with plenty of highlights and lowlights. Despite trying to figure his way into the side, JT comes up with a huge play and saves the day for the Cowboys. [B] Warriors[/B] 6. Jerome Ropati 2. Todd Byrne 17. Sione Faumuina 4. Clinton Toopi 5. Francis Meli 25. Lance Hohaia 7. Stacey Jones 8. Iafeta Paleaaesina 9. Nathan Fien 10. Steve Price 11. Awen Guttenbiel 12. Wairangi Koopu 13. Monty Betham 14. Tevita Latu 15. Karl Temata* 16. Louis Anderson 24. Manu Vatuvei [B]Cowboys[/B] 1. Matt Bowen 2. Ty Williams 3. Josh Hannay 4. Paul Bowman 5. Matt Sing 6. Johnathan Thurston 7. Chris Sheppard 8. Paul Rauhihi 9. Aaron Payne 10. Carl Webb 11. Steve Southern 12. Justin Smith 13. Luke O'Donnell 14. Rod Jensen 15. Leigh McWilliams 16. Michael Luck 17. Shane Tronc [/QUOTE]

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