"People don't realise but it goes way beyond the physical stuff. You start to question if you will ever be able to do it again.
"There are so many demons in your head and they can be hard to fight. At times, I thought I was way past it and I didn't have a hope of playing Origin again. I thought there was no way I would ever be considered [for Queensland] again."
The Cowboys look well placed for their best shot at the title since 2005. They have solved their travelling blues, with a series of strong performances on the road this year, including impressive wins in Brisbane, Canberra, Newcastle and notably Melbourne. They also have been one of the few sides to push the Bulldogs close, before Des Hasler's team accelerated away in the latter stages of their round 21 match.
James Tamou and Matt Scott have anchored the forward pack, while Ashley Graham, Bowen and Kane Linnett have been been constant backline threats. Then there is Thurston.
"He is a freak of a player who makes footy so enjoyable," says Tate of Thurston. "We are very lucky to have him. Along with Matty [Bowen], JT is a huge reason why we have done so well. Sometimes in training, you are just shaking your head at what he comes up with."
Tate has also been hugely impressed with the controversial Tamou - although admits he didn't want the Palmerston North-born prop to opt for Australia.
"I would have loved to see him play for the Kiwis," laughs Tate. "As a Queenslander, I didn't really want to face him [in State of Origin] and have to tackle him. He's a brute. But, seriously, I can't say enough about him; he is an unbelievable talent and has gone to another level for us this year."
The 30-year-old has plenty of sympathy for the Warriors' current plight and echoes the thoughts of his former coach Wayne Bennett, putting much of their struggles down to an over-reliance on inexperienced players.
"When you had played 50 first grade games, you thought you knew it all," says Tate. "But it was not until you played 150 games or been around five or six years that you realised you knew absolutely nothing.
"I was fortunate to come through with guys like [Darren] Lockyer, [Petero] Civoniceva and [Shane] Webke; those blokes showed us the way and took us under their wing.
"Probably at the Warriors now, there is not enough depth; there are players like Simon Mannering, Nathan Friend and Micheal Luck but a lot of youth under that.
"You can't buy experience. It's great to have the enthusiasm and spark of youth but you need to have experience to rein it in and show them the way," Tate says.
He has only fond memories of his time in Auckland, saying that the club treated him "unbelievably" and it was a wrench to leave. His first son Kayden (now four) is a Kiwi, having been born in Auckland Hospital.
"Over here, some people give me some grief about my son being a Kiwi," says Tate. "But I always say 'at least he wasn't born in New South Wales'."
