JUST as North Queensland’s season went boom, Souths forward Chris McQueen’s Origin campaign may have gone bust.

Johnathan Thurston’s return to halfback paid emphatic dividends last night, the Cowboys maestro orchestrating his side’s 20-18 upset of Souths in Townsville.

But Thurston could head into Origin III camp on Tuesday without Maroons cohort McQueen, who limped off with an ankle injury on a night of pain for the Rabbitohs.

Aware his Origin spot is under threat, McQueen played strongly before breaking down in the 51st minute in a two-man tackle after a rampaging charge.

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The post-match spotlight belonged to Thurston, who franked coach Paul Green’s positional shift with a masterclass in the No.7 jumper to stun Souths.

In the process, the Maroons genius may just have resurrected a Cowboys side stung into action by last Monday night’s horror show in Newcastle.

Thurston set up three tries in the opening nine minutes for a stunning 14-0 burst, with a Matt Wright double propelling the Cowboys to a 20-6 half-time lead.

The Rabbitohs came storming home after the break but the home side hung on to seal arguably their finest victory of the season.

In the lead-up to the Knights game, the Cowboys’ motto was Whatever it Takes. The 36-28 defeat was a window to their soul and attitude.

Saturday night, Cowboys players took ownership and gave Green an emphatic answer.

The coach, though, deserves accolades. His strategic shift with Thurston was subtle but the intent spoke volumes.

Green was asking Thurston to take control. To roam and impose himself on a team crying out for an inspirational rudder.

They say you don’t write off a champion. Equally, you don’t write off a competitor. Thurston is great because he is both.

With the challenge before him, South Sydney were always going to be in trouble.

Within nine minutes, Green hit the type of jackpot befitting the high-rollers room at Crown Casino as Thurston wheeled and dealing, enjoying the hot hands.

But Thurston can only dominate if his big boppers lay the bedrock. In Newcastle, the Cowboys’ front six, missing injured leader Matt Scott, were brittle in midfield.

This time, they worked like a Baghdad bricklayer. The maligned Scott Bolton was outstanding wearing Scott’s No.8 jumper and explosive duo Tariq Sims and Jason Taumalolo played with more energy on the fringes.

The Rabbitohs were largely off colour but some wins can ignite self-belief and turn a season. This triumph could be the Cowboys’ defining moment.

NORTH QUEENSLAND 20 (M Wright 2 T Sims A Winterstein tries J Thurston 2 goals) bt SOUTH SYDNEY 18 (J Clark G Inglis C McQueen tries A Reynolds 3 goals) at 1300 SMILES Stadium. Referee: Ben Cummins, Grant Atkins. Crowd: 15,897.

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