Thurston, Johnathan (1983-…), an Australian rugby football player, ranks among the greatest players in the history of the National Rugby League (NRL). Thurston, a halfback, was best known for his goal-kicking ability. In 2015, he became the first-ever three-time winner of the Golden Boot Award. The award—one of the highest individual honors in the sport—is given to the best player in the world each year. Thurston also became the first four-time winner of the Dally M Medal, a yearly award for the NRL’s best player. 
Johnathan Dean Thurston was born on April 25, 1983, in Brisbane, in the Australian state of Queensland. Thurston is a member of the Gunggari people, an Australian Aboriginal group from southwestern Queensland. Thurston’s mother, Debbie, was one of thousands of Aboriginal children who were involuntarily separated from their parents by the Australian government. These children later became known as the Stolen Generations.
Thurston played rugby football growing up in Brisbane. As a teenager, he attended St. Mary’s College in Toowoomba, Queensland. In 2001, Thurston was signed by the Bulldogs, an NRL team based in the Canterbury-Bankstown suburbs of Sydney. He made his NRL debut in 2002. He won his first Grand Final with the Bulldogs in 2004.
In 2005, Thurston began playing for the North Queensland Cowboys, an NRL team based in Townsville, Queensland. During his first season with the Cowboys, Thurston’s exceptional play earned him his first Dally M Medal. Also in 2005, Thurston made his debut in the national State of Origin series, representing Queensland. He first represented Australia on the international level in 2006.
From 2006 to 2013, Thurston helped Queensland win eight State of Origin series in a row, the most in the history of the sport. He was named captain of the Cowboys in 2007. In 2015, Thurston led the Cowboys to victory in the Grand Final. His extraordinary performance earned him the Clive Churchill Medal for best player in the Grand Final match, as well as his fourth Dally M Medal. He also received his third Golden Boot Award later that year.
Thurston retired from professional rugby in 2018. In 2019, Thurston was made a Member of the Order of Australia. The Order of Australia is Australia’s highest award for service to the country or to humanity.
