It’s asking the question: has Lebron James gone past Michael Jordan as the best to ever do it? If he hasn’t will he? Can he?

It’s a very dense and polarising debate, one Kick-off does not have the time, space or inclination to give it’s proper due in these pages.

What is interesting, however, is how the debate reveals how readily we look to the past with reverence, and to the present with skepticism.

There’s multitude of fans who are affronted, downright outraged that Jordan’s legacy as the G.O.A.T. – to borrow an oft-used American acronym – could even be questioned. 

Even if James does go past Jordan in the court of public opinion, it won’t happen while he’s still doing it. Only with time do people really appreciate greatness.

Us Aussies are similarly inclined. It’s a great shame we often can’t appreciate it when it’s right in front of us. But surely, even south of the border, we can admit the fact that, in Jonathan Thurston, we’re watching rugby league’s own G.O.A.T.

I never thought, in my time, that I would see a more complete or dominant player than Andrew Johns. Never thought I’d see a better clutch player than Darren Lockyer. Thurston is both rolled into one. He didn’t need to nail the match-winner on Wednesday night to prove it.

Four Dally M Medals, three golden boots, 36 consecutive Origin games,10 series wins in 12 seasons, 38 Tests, Immortal status a given, all attest to that.

But he did it anyway. Like all great champions they prove it time and again when they have nothing left to prove.

Let’s be clear, he’s certainly played better State of Origin games, but this one put his whole career in nutshell. Watching the game on television didn’t come close to revealing the battle he was fighting to stay in the game. A runaway train by the name of Tyson Frizell left his right arm limp early in the contest.

He could barely lift it to catch a pass, but he found a way, despite all the extra attention he came in for from the Blues big men. As Cameron Smith said afterwards, there was a barely a joint in his body not taped up.

He had no right to be out there. Queensland had no right to be in it. It made no sense and yet, when he lined up that kick in the 78^th minute, we all just knew it was going over. 

It sets up an Origin swansong at Suncorp Stadium in three weeks’ time. His legacy doesn’t rest on walking away from it victorious – but you have to think he might just find a way to do it anyway.