THE late, great Graham Murray’s vision is 80 minutes from being realised.
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Murray took the Steelers to a preliminary final in 1992 and the Cowboys to the 2005 grand final, but the premiership coaching dream eluded him.
Still his legacy lives on in Johnathan Thurston’s super-stardom, chasing the final piece of a remarkable career puzzle.
Thurston was the scrawny teenager plucked from Canterbury, barely confident enough to speak to Murray when they met, when he signed with North Queensland.
More than a decade on, Thurston is the magician, a consumate professional, indigenous hero, the king of the kids with the iconic laugh. In the year the Dragons won the competition, Murray discussed in his then weekly column the best players he had coached with the ability to single-handedly turn a game.
He offered three.
“While some people might be a little surprised, former Steelers great Paul McGregor is the first player included,” he wrote for the Mercury.
“In the year Illawarra first made the semi-finals, 1992, McGregor stamped himself as one of the game's best, having finally lured him from Dapto to the Steelers the previous season.
“He went on to play for NSW and Australia and simply had that ability to make a difference when the game was on the line.
“The second is Brad Fittler, who once formed the NSW centre pairing with "Mary". Fittler was a match winner while I was coaching at the Roosters.
“The final member of the trio is North Queensland magician Johnathan Thurston”.
A great rugby league mind, Murray passed away in 2013 after complications from a second heart attack.
His impact is felt in the Illawarra, the NRL, Leeds and with NSW. But in Thurston, there is a player who is completing the bold plans Murray had for the Cowboys.
Of course, on the other side of the fence, the region knows all too well about the influence of Wayne Bennett.
Bennett made the Dragons the benchmark of the NRL in attitude and defence, winning the 2010 title.
It’s taken until this year for St George Illawarra to truly start moving out of Bennett’s lengthy shadow.
It’s taken time for the Dragons to recover from the short-term, premiership or bust goals Bennett brought with him.
But now the Broncos’ empire is rebuilt and his legend continues to grow, Bennett will remain in charge for as long as he wishes.
It’s been an extraordinary round trip from Wollongong back to Brisbane, via Newcastle.
With a perfect record in grand finals, Bennett’s own remarkable homecoming is almost complete.
Unless of course, Murray’s man can stop him.