This was published 7 years ago
The champion
On the field, Johnathan Thurston was such a skilful player that his legend transcended the sport of rugby league. Even one-eyed Aussie rules, rugby union and soccer fans applauded his brilliance. What makes this especially remarkable was that he almost didn’t make it. As a kid, footy clubs declared he was too scrawny to ever make an impact. How wrong they were. But in a career bursting with accolades, there have also been controversies and hardships. At 35, Thurston has decided it is time to hang up his boots, and talking to Allison Langdon on 60 MINUTES, he looks back on a career that almost never happened.
Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producer: Bryce Corbett
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The Johnathan Thurston Academy, based in Brisbane, launched in February, 2018, the first of its kind in Australia. An Academy driven by a shared passion of the team members to place young people onto the path of success in the areas of education, healthy living, employment and sport. For more information, please click here.
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