"OK ... it was the night before an Origin game," Meninga continues. "He felt crook so our medical staff felt it was important to get him to hospital to see how he went.
"They put him on the intravenous drip and pumped him full of antibiotics. He had a viral infection, some pains in his stomach. The next day it's game day. He woke up and said he felt okay and he played."
That was game two of the 2013 series, Thurston's 26th consecutive Origin game for Queensland. Only 24 hours after lying in a hospital bed, he didn't just play, he carved up. Thurston set up two tries in a 26-6 victory which saved the series and provided the impetus for Queensland to chalk up a seventh straight Origin crown in the decider.
"Some guys play with pain better than others and JT is the one guy who can do it," Meninga says. "We all remember Trevor Gillmeister (famously checking out of hospital to lead Queensland to victory in 1995), and Johnno has that same ethos.
"He loves the Queensland jumper. But most of all, he just hates letting his team-mates down."
"We've had a couple of close shaves," Thurston says. "I don't know about being tough, I'm just lucky I think.
"There have been a few games where I've had to pass fitness tests to play, but I always put the team first. If I don't think I can do the job, I wouldn't put my team-mates or Mal in a bad situation by being selfish."
Maroons skipper Cameron Smith rates Thurston one of the toughest pound-for-pound players in his 13-year career.
"I remember preparing for a test match," he said. "We were training at Langlands Park and he rolled his ankle in the captain's run. His ankle was twice the size and he had to go off early. We all thought, 'Shit, he's out, who will replace JT?' Then the next day he got up for the test and was one of our best players.
"To play 31 Origins in a row is not just luck. JT could easily have missed games, but he has bravery like no one else I've seen."
- Sunday Mail
