The heir to Andrew Johns throne in the new millennium was Johnathan Thurston, who became the first man to win four Dally M medals, culminating with his Grand Final triumph for the North Queensland Cowboys in 2015. The headgear-wearing halfback known as “J.T” had tormented NSW in the Origin arena for a decade and won all the individual accolades on offer, but it took a Clive Churchill Medal-winning performance in the 2015 decider to truly crown his glittering career.

Thurston overcame his small stature with a strong belief in his own ability, a humility that endeared himself to the fans and teammates, a strong skills set, and a work-rate that gave him the greatest chance of attaining success. He was an inspirational player as a half-back or five-eighth, who consistently elevated his team and inspired the fans, as well as being a role model for the Indigenous community.

Thurston was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, to a Gunggari (Indigenous Australian) mother and a New Zealand Tino Maori. Johnathan Thurston had grown up as a kid in Brisbane’s south side, watching his father Graeme play the sport he came to love, and earning $1 per game as an eager ball boy. He began playing rugby league at a very young age for Souths Sunnybank RLFC in Brisbane's southside. At 12, Thurston intially signed a scholarship deal with the South Queensland Crushers. 

Later during his youth he move to Toowoomba where he attended St. Mary's College, playing rugby league and was also successful playing Rugby Union for the school and the Toowoomba Rugby League's All Whites club. Although a stand-out player at school and club level, at 18 years of age, none of the National Rugby League clubs were willing to sign the Queenslander with many citing his small size as a problem.

His dream was to play for the Broncos, but despite the talent he possessed, scouts from the club dismissed him as “too small”. He was still growing, but his frustration at being consistently overlooked while others were getting scholarships took him to the point of briefly considering quitting the sport he came to dominate. Ultimately his chance came not with the Broncos, but with Canterbury-Bankstown, who signed him on a “nil playing fee” for the 2001 season.

Long before the Dally M Medals, the Origin wins and the Kangaroos jumpers, Thurston was a humble kid trying to forge a first grade career at the Bulldogs. Johnathan Thurston started his career at the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, where he won the 2004 NRL premiership. Club captain Steve Price was injured in the lead up to the 2004 Grand Final, giving a then 21-year-old Thurston the opportunity to come off the bench in the decider. The Bulldogs would go on to win a tight tussle 16-13 over the Roosters, handing Thurston his first premiership ring. It was Thurston’s final game with the Bulldogs. In 2005 he transferred to North Queensland where he transformed from promising player into one of the most decorated stars in the game.

His move north also coincided with his State-of-Origin journey as he was chosen to play for Queensland for the first time in what would be a huge part of his sporting journey. He moved to the North Queensland Cowboys, playing in that year's grand final. It was no coincidence that Thurston’s arrival in Townsville culminated in the North Queensland qualifying for the grand final – after making his State of Origin debut at halfback in 2005 the wiry pivot was named ‘Dally M’ Player of the Year after galvanising the North Queensland’ attack during the season. He would not have another opportunity to play in a major NRL Grand Final game with the Cowboys for eleven years.

Thurston made his Australian Kangaroo’s debut in 2006. Thurston performed at a consistently high standard for his country from 2005 to 2017, including scoring a record 382 points for the Kangaroos. He also won the Golden Boot Award, an award given to the player judged the best in the world, on three occasions (2011, 2013 and 2015).

He was the 2008 Wally Lewis medalist for State of Origin player of the series. Thurston was the only player to play in all 24 games of Queensland's eight-year State of Origin winning streak from 2006, having played 36 consecutive Origin matches from his debut in 2005. His man-of-the-match performance as half-back in the opening game of the 2010 State-of-Origin series drew comparisons with some of the great individual performances for his aggressive passing, his ability to own the key moments, and his competitive streak. Thurston broke the record for most points in State of Origin history during the 2015 State of Origin series when smashing New South Wales 52–6. J.T will go down in history as one of the most successful players ever to pull on a Maroons jumper.

In 2015, Thurston co-captained the North Queensland Cowboys, along with teammate Matt Scott, to their inaugural NRL Premiership. The Brisbane Broncos qualified for their first grand final appearance since 2006, and had never previously been defeated in a grand final, winning all six they have featured in – 1992, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2006, and 1997 for Super League. Thurston made a great play to set up a try to Kyle Feldt right on the full time hooter, but couldn't covert the try, leaving the game tied up at 16–16 and heading into golden point extra time to break the deadlock.

North Queensland kicked off first in extra time, and the opening kick-off was knocked on by Ben Hunt, immediately giving North Queensland an attacking scrum on Brisbane's ten-metre line. North Queensland set up for the game-winning field goal, and after aborting attempts on the first and third tackles due to strong defensive pressure from the Broncos, Johnathan Thurston was able to make up for his missed conversion by slotting the field goal on the fourth tackle from 20 metres out to win the game 17–16. It was the first time an NRL Grand Final had been decided in Golden Point. Thurston was also named 2015 Clive Churchill Medallist for grand final man of the match.

Thurston played his final game against the Gold Coast Titans, producing a masterclass in a tightly contested game that the Cowboys eventually won 30–26. In 2018, Thurston retired from playing rugby league, and founded and launched the Johnathan Thurston Academy (JTAcademy) of which is he now the Managing Director. 

In August 2024, the National Rugby League announced that Thurston was an inductee into the National Rugby League Hall of Fame. Thurston, who was ascribed Hall of Fame number 121, was amongst eleven male players in the 2024 Class. In 2015, Thurston was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters from James Cook University for his "outstanding service and exceptional contributions to the northern Queensland community." In the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours, Thurston was made a Member of the Order of Australia, for significant service to rugby league, and as a role model. In 2023, he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.