Thurston, Jonathan Johnathan Thurston has been declared the best NRL player of all time, knocking out Andrew Johns and Cameron Smith. He was also named the greatest front-row forward in rugby league history.
Johnathan Thurston made his debut for North Queensland in 2001 and became the club's main playmaker later that year when he replaced Peter Matera as captain. Under his leadership, the Cowboys won the 2002 NRL Premiership, beating Melbourne 32-20 in the grand final. Thurston played only three more games before injuring his knee, which required a reconstruction surgery that ended his season. He returned in 2004 and helped the team reach the finals again and third straight season without making it past the first week. In 2007, Thurston signed with the Sydney Roosters but was traded to the St. George Illawarra Dragons in 2008. He remained at the club until 2011 when he joined the Cowboys again as part of a swap deal involving teammate Matthew Scott. Thurston continued to be one of the best players in the game after joining the Cowboys, winning another premiership in 2013. He announced his retirement after playing his 150th game in 2015 but came back from injury to play two more seasons before calling it quits for good in 2017.
Thurston, Jonathan Isaac and Ryan Hoffman are all worthy candidates to be named rugby league's greatest kicker.
While Thurston spent most of his time with the Seattle Seahawks kicking for time and place, Isaac and Hoffman were both elite kickers in their own right. Isaac was one of the best in the world during the middle part of this decade, while Hoffman was capable of scoring anytime he received the ball at training ground level. Both players will be remembered for their ability to land match-winning goals and set up teammates with simple kicks - skills that are difficult to find today.
In terms of career stats, Thurston leads the way with 708 points from 104 games while Isaac and Hoffman each scored 71 times during their careers. However, it's unlikely that any of these three players will ever be ranked first in skill order due to the nature of the game today. There have been many great goal-kickers over the years including Peter Sterling, Matt King and Simon Amor, but they're all gone now. It's safe to say that Thurston, Isaac and Hoffman will go down as one of the greatest trios in rugby league history.
Smith, Cameron Smith, Cameron Smith's name is linked with success, and he is often regarded as the best player of the modern period. He holds the record for the most NRL games played (411), points scored (2602) and captained Melbourne to three premierships. He captained his nation 26 times and Queensland 21 times. He retired at the end of 2017 season.
Johnathan Thurston is the biggest reason why many people love rugby league. The New Zealand great is the competition's all-time leading point scorer and is also first on the list for total tries (88). His ability to read the game and make players around him better is second to none. Thurston led Australia to a world title in 2013, making him the only man to have won international tournaments with both Australia and New Zealand. He announced his retirement at the end of 2017 but will continue to coach the Cowboys until 2020.
Greg Inglis is one of the greatest front-rowers of all time. The South Australian played 100 games for Souths from 2004 to 2015 and was a member of three State of Origin series victories in four years. Inglis won the Dally M Medal in 2010 as the NRL's best player.
Nate Thurley is a two-time Dally M Medal winner and currently plays for Buffalo Bills in the NFL. The Green Machine legend played 200 games over 11 seasons before retiring in 2012.
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