"It definitely has to come back to Auckland though. You can't just take it away and play it in Brisbane or Melbourne for five years.
"You've got to be able to rotate it and know if you're in Auckland or New Zealand that the Nines will be back in a few years."
Having made his first appearance at the Nines, Thurston was glowing in his praise for the concept and the weekend's festivities, but slammed the poor crowd turnout.
Speaking after the Cowboys upset 25-12 quarter final loss to Melbourne, Thurston felt Auckland fans don't deserve to have the Nines in their own backyard if they weren't going to support the event.
The Kangaroos and Queensland playmaker suggested the NRL could get greater benefit by using the tournament to break new ground.
"It's a great way to kick off the year, playing in the Nines," said Thurston. "(But) I'm pretty disappointed at the turn-out of the crowd.
"If that's the type of crowd that's going to show up I reckon we should be taking it elsewhere.
"Maybe even Asia, get over there for a week and try and grow the game.
"You can see it's a great spectacle and if it's going get a turnout like this then let's take it elsewhere.
"It's a great weekend. The fans love it, the players really enjoy it.
"It's only my first experience. I had a lot of fun. We got beaten by a better side today so that's the way footy goes.
"But I think we can grow it elsewhere."
Johnson referenced the decline of the Wellington Sevens as a warning sign that the Nines should depart Auckland before punters grow tired of it.
"It's sad what's happened with the Sevens," he said.
"When it (events) fall short it's really sad. Where we are at the moment, the crowd obviously was a little down on what it was last year.
"For me it's still a great weekend. The weather has been great, the footy's been played at a high standard, and you've got some of the best players in the game come over again for it."
