Bulldogs in move to get Johnathan Thurston back

[Boofhead]

Bulldogs in move to get Johnathan Thurston back
Peter Badel | April 04, 2009 11:00pm

NORTH Queensland is facing a fresh battle to retain Johnathan Thurston with the Bulldogs bidding to lure the Cowboys' most important player back to Sydney.

As Thurston prepares for tomorrow night's clash with Canberra, The Sunday Mail has learned Bulldogs football club board members will support plans for the club to make a big-money play for Thurston as early as November.

The development comes just six months after the Cowboys skipper surprised the club by flagging the prospect of defecting to French rugby.

While Thurston is not off-contract at the Cowboys until the end of 2010, rival NRL outfits will be permitted to approach his agent Sam Ayoub from November 1 this year.

The Bulldogs board has made Thurston its No.1 recruitment target for 2011. The Test playmaker has been pencilled in to succeed halfback Brett Kimmorley, who will be 34 when his contract with the Bulldogs expires at the end of next year.

Bulldogs recruitment chief Peter Mulholland confirmed the club's interest in Thurston, who joined the Cowboys after winning a premiership at Belmore in 2004.

"Thurston is certainly one we'll be looking at," Mulholland said.

"When a marquee player like Johnathan comes off, you need to be in there having a go at him.

"If we could squeeze one more year out of Brett (Kimmorley), then great, but at this stage we're not sure where Brett is going after 2010.

"There's probably going to be a lot of other clubs vying for him, too. He seems happy in North Queensland under their new coach Neil Henry, so maybe Johnathan wouldn't come back. But he has got a history here. He did come from here and he's got close friends here, but whether he wants to come back to Sydney I don't know.

"We'll be entertaining it for sure."

North Queensland has put retention talks with Thurston on hold until season's end. But Cowboys executive director Peter Parr has vowed to do everything possible to keep the Maroons sensation in Townsville.

The Bulldogs face the prospect of paying around $500,000-a-season to have any hope of landing Thurston.

"I'm aware of the Bulldogs rumours, I think Kimmorley will be off-contract by then, so it would probably fit into their plans to chase Johnathan," Parr said.

"But I don't think things will be too dissimilar to the last time JT came off contract. I imagine that there will be several clubs chasing him. JT knows we want him to stay. All I know is that while the Bulldogs may be working out what they can do to entice him to their club, we at the Cowboys are doing the same to keep him here.

"We've got a good relationship with JT. I guess there's never any guarantees with anything, but when the time is right, we will be ready to go."

Sunday Mail

[DIEHARD]

Canterbury will really be after Thurston. And they will have the will and the bank balance to do it. It really comes down to how Thurston feels being at th Cowboys, hopefully he doesn't feel stale, because I want him to be part of the Cowboys, it's great for the club and Queensland rugby league.

I love it how each Queensland NRL club has a legendary marquee player, Broncos with Lockyer, Cowboys with Thurston and Titans with Chris Walker.

[Steel Dragon]

They would be bloody nuts not to have a go at getting him, as would any club that has the spare cash.

[Shark4eva]

Thurston will obviously be a great signing for any club....
Ive heard that Justin Poore is on his way to the Sharks to replace Ross....i think it will be a great signing for the sharks ......Dragons also have other notable off contract players like;

Darius Boyd
Jason Nightingale
Wendell Sailor
Brett Morris (apparently on the outer as he is unhappy with game time)
Ben Hornby
Matt Cooper

and theres more i cant think of right now.....surely dragons will strugle to resign them all..... good chance for teams to offer some cash in order to snare these great players

[TITAN PETE]

If he signs with the Dogs then that would show he has little faith in the Cowboys ability to be a Premiership force & he may go back to get his Premiership ring he gave to Price in 04'