Thurston fumes over cynical Blair hold down

North Queensland star Johnathan Thurston was left fuming after being held down by Brisbane forward Adam Blair and forced to miss a crucial play during their finals loss to the Broncos.

Chasing the game at 16-12 in the 73rd minute, the Cowboys were attacking 30m off the Broncos line when Thurston delivered a shortball to Gavin Cooper and was tackled by Blair.

The hit was all above board, but it was what came next that riled the Cowboys halfback and prompted league experts to declare Blair should have been sin-binned for a professional foul.

Instead of releasing Thurston and running back to the defensive line, the Broncos prop laid over the top of the No.7 and pinned him to the turf for up to 10 seconds, forcing him out of action for the next play.

The cynical piece of gamesmanship meant Thurston was unable to put in a fifth tackle kick.

And while Lachlan Coote stepped in to trickle a grubber into the Broncos ingoal, Thurston was clearly angered by the move.

Making matters worse, referee Gavin Badger stood over the top while the hold down occurred but failed to blow a penalty.

Channel Nine's Peter Sterling said on the Sunday Footy Show that Blair should have been sin-binned for the offence.

But given it was a unique incident, it appeared to have caught the referees off guard.