May 11th, 2017

North Queensland Cowboys star Johnathan Thurston is recovering quickly from a shoulder injury. (AAP)

May 11th, 2017

Johnathan Thurston is making a remarkable recovery from his shoulder injury and was even considering asking to play for the Cowboys against the Bulldogs on Thursday night.

But the Cowboys decided to err on the side of caution and won’t risk Thurston less than a week after he damaged the shoulder in the Kangaroos’ Test win over the Kiwis.

Thurston is likely to be named in the Cowboys’ 21 man squad for next Friday week’s trip to Cronulla and make a final decision late in the week.

The latest developments mean Thurston is a near certainty to be fit for Queensland for Origin One in Brisbane on May 31.

“JT is such a competitor - he has been having treatment around the clock and the injury is responding better than we could have hoped,” my Cowboys insider says.

“The fact he wanted to play tonight is an indication of just how keen he is to get back onto the field - but we just thought it was too soon.”

Initial tests indicated Thurston could miss up to a month - but the game’s best player is a quick healer and he looks like returning in half that time now.