KEY POINTS:
Rugby league superstar Johnathan Thurston's year got off to bad start when he was charged with public drunkenness and locked up in a police cell in Townsville.
North Queensland Cowboys chief executive Peter Parr confirmed the incident, which happened after Thurston locked himself out of his house last weekend.
Parr told Sydney radio 2KY that Thurston, 24, forgot his house keys and, upon returning home from a night on the town, couldn't raise a friend who had a spare key.
Thurston, the Cowboys captain, decided to sleep it off outside his house but was spotted by a member of the public and reported to police.
Police couldn't get in contact with Parr or anyone close to Thurston at that hour of the morning, so he spent several hours in police cells.
Parr said he fronted up with Thurston's bail as soon as he heard.
He said club would consider taking disciplinary action against Thurston, but it was unlikely his captaincy was under threat.
"The police consider it a minor offence," Parr told ABC radio.
"He's very contrite and apologetic and obviously embarrassed about the situation.
"I hope it's a lesson learnt. He's a young man and it's a very big learning curve for him being a player of his profile and the responsibilities that go with captaincy."
A police spokeswoman confirmed that a 24-year-old had been charged with public drunkenness in Townsville last Saturday.
Kangaroos star Thurston is still recovering from major shoulder surgery and Parr said his key playmaker would probably miss the opening month of the National Rugby League (NRL) season.
- NZPA
