NRL: Thurston was 'grossly intoxicated'

Johnathan Thurston. Photo / Getty Images

Johnathan Thurston's girlfriend has described the league star's antics, which saw him charged with public nuisance, as "boys being boys".

The injured North Queensland Cowboys captain and Australian halfback was kicked out of the Treasury Casino in Brisbane at 3.40am (AEST) on Thursday for harassing other guests with his crutch, before police arrested him outside.

A casino spokeswoman said he had been there for about an hour when asked to leave, but did not appear to be intoxicated.

"He was asked to leave because he was disturbing other patrons with his walking crutch," the spokeswoman said.

"He consented to all requests and was polite to security guards.

"His actions at the time provided no indication he was intoxicated."

The Courier-Mail reported a police source saying Thurston had laughed at the officers before wrestling a second man on the road and ending up on a taxi.

The officer told the newspaper both men were "grossly intoxicated" but police would not confirm this when contacted by AAP.

The second man, understood to be former Brisbane rugby league player Nathan Daly, 25, who now lives in Townsville, was also arrested for public nuisance.

Both were taken to the Brisbane watchhouse before being released and will appear in court on October 6.

Thurston is on his way back to Townsville.

His girlfriend Sam Lynch told Triple M radio in Brisbane she didn't receive a phone call but had heard stories of what had happened.

"He was in Sydney yesterday (for a league promotion) and they couldn't get flights back to Townsville so they had a stopover in Brisbane," she said.

Asked what she knew of the incident, Ms Lynch said: "They were just being nuisances...boys being boys."

Fellow Cowboy Willie Tonga was with the pair but was not arrested, the ABC and the Nine Network reported.

Australian rugby league captain Darren Lockyer said Thurston would be "pretty shattered right now".

"It's not great timing," Lockyer told Nine.

"Obviously he is coming back from an injury and he wants to press his claims for a Test jersey in the Four Nations this year.

"It's not good but I've known Johnathan for a long time. He's a decent bloke and we'll just have to not pass judgment on it till we know the full details."

Thurston was previously charged with public drunkenness after being arrested outside his Townsville apartment semi-naked in January 2008.

Thurston, who has an ankle injury and was leaning on a crutch, was picked up outside the Brisbane watchhouse by player agent Jim Banaghan, who is not Thurston's agent, in a silver four-wheel drive.

He made no comment to the media scrum outside the station.

- AAP