Ten years later Thurston, 31, hopes to again enter sporting folklore. He is primed to lead the North Queensland Cowboys to their first premiership.
Yet not so long ago Thurston almost became a cautionary tale.
Former whipping boys the Cowboys had made the finals only once, in 2004 - nine long years after their inception.
And while Thurston took confident strides on the field, off the field there were some stumbles.
In 2008, he was charged with public drunkenness after being arrested outside his Townsville flat semi-naked.
Two years later the Cowboys issued a club apology after he was arrested on a public nuisance charge in Brisbane.
A quick glance around Townsville these days shows just how far Thurston has come since. He is on billboards. He is stopped on the street by strangers.
And that's just in the pre-season.
Ahead of North Queensland's NRL semifinal with Sydney Roosters tonight, all eyes are again on Thurston.
Quite simply, he is their hero.
Retired test winger Brent Tate, who joined the Cowboys in 2011, summed it up best. "He is their hope up there." It already has the makings of a feelgood story but Thurston will be looking to add another chapter with a long-awaited premiership ring.
Yet ex-test international Matt Johns believes Thurston will achieve so much more if North Queensland triumph on grand final day. "If he can guide this Cowboys team to the title, he will be assured of Immortal status," he wrote in his News Corp column.
Tate disagreed. "In my eyes he doesn't need any more accolades to become an Immortal - he is already one in waiting," he said.
Queensland coach Mal Meninga backed Tate's call. "I don't think [him winning another title] should be part of the criteria at all ... when it comes to how good a player he is." AAP
