Digging deep, win or lose

The greatest players can drag their teams kicking and screaming over the line, and the athletes below had to mine the deepest recesses of their talents to achieve the almost-impossible.

These individual performances will go down as some of the greatest of the past two decades.

Johnathan Thurston vs NSW, State of Origin Game II, 2017

State of Origin is a theatre that demands superhuman performances. One of the most astounding efforts came in Game II, 2017 from Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston.

The Blues had obliterated the Maroons in Game I and had one hand on the shield leading at half time in Game II at a packed and parochial ANZ Stadium. Thurston was seemingly down and out with a severe shoulder injury.

However, the Maroons talisman picked himself off the canvas and played the rest of the game, including nailing a sideline conversion in the dying seconds to secure a 18-16 victory. The Maroons would claim the series with a 22-6 thumping at Suncorp in Game III.

Tim Cahill vs Syria, World Cup Qualifying, 2017

After the Socceroos missed out on automatic qualification for Russia 2018 they faced a playoff against Syria.

After a dire 1-1 draw in the first leg in Malaysia, the Socceroos fell behind at ANZ Stadium and faced the very real prospect of being knocked out.

Enter Tim Cahill.

The long-time superstar netted two trademark goals to secure a dramatic 2-1 victory and set the 'Roos on the path to a fourth-successive World Cup appearance.

LeBron James vs Golden State Warriors, 2015 and 2016 NBA Finals Series

LeBron James has pulled off some unbelievable performances but helping Cleveland to NBA glory was surely his finest hour.

In 2015, LeBron became the first player in NBA Finals history to lead both teams in points, assists, and rebounds during the Finals.

However, it was not enough. The Warriors prevailed in the best-of-seven series, and to add insult to injury LeBron was denied the MVP award despite his heroic performances.

The following year he got his revenge. In an all-time performance, LeBron became the first player in NBA history to lead all players in a playoff series in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.

And he was crowned Finals MVP.

Sam Burgess vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, 2014 NRL Grand Final

In the opening seconds of South Sydney's historic 2014 Grand Final appearance, giant Englishman Sam Burgess flew into countryman James Graham with the first hit up of the game.

The sickening collision resulted in a double fracture to Burgess' cheek and eye socket and it seemed as though the Rabbitohs would be without their lock forward for the rest of the game.

However, Burgess — playing his last game for the Bunnies before a short-lived sojourn to union — defied the odds and played the entire 80 minutes.

Burgess ran for 218 metres off 20 hit ups and made a team-high 39 tackles, all with his face swelling outrageously.

He claimed the Clive Churchill medal for 'best on ground' in one of the all-time great individual efforts.

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