North Queensland coach Paul Green hailed "ice" playmaker Johnathan Thurston, after the NRL superstar's golden-point field goal gave the Cowboys a dramatic 17-16 grand final win over Brisbane on Sunday at ANZ Stadium.
Man of the match Thurston earlier missed converting Kyle Feldt's 80th-minute try that would have handed the Cowboys their maiden premiership. The ball curved late but hit the post before 82,758 fans.
But Thurston, who was named as Clive Churchill medallist, made no mistake during golden point when he nailed a field goal in the 82th minute from close range.
In one of the most-dramatic rugby league deciders in history, a Ben Hunt knock-on from the start of golden point handed the Cowboys great field position and Thurston duly took advantage.
"I'm speechless," Thurston told the Nine Network.
"Wow, I can't believe what I've just done - I just love this club.
"We have worked so hard for this."
Green said Thurston showed what a champion he was to shrug off the disappointment of his missed conversion and land the one-pointer.
"He's unbelievable," Green said.
"When he took that goal, I don't think there's any other player that I'd want to take that goal. It wasn't to be but he iced the game when he got the chance."
In the first grand final to decided by golden point, it was tough way to lose for the Broncos who had spent much of the second half stoically defending their own line. Michael Morgan was held up over the line, Lachlan Coote was penalised for a double movement and Kane Linnett dropped the ball close to the line after pressure from Broncos defenders in three close encounters for the Cowboys.
But in the end, that all mattered little.
Just when it looked like Brisbane would claim their seventh title and coach Wayne Bennett his eighth in eight grand finals as sole head coach, Morgan produced the play of the game.
The Queensland utility had had a quiet game up until that point. But with the last throw of the die, with a miracle flick pass, he found Feldt unmarked on a short blind side and the right winger did enough to get the ball down.
Up until that point, the only second-half points had been a 43rd-minute penalty goal to Broncos winger Jordan Kahu.
Brisbane had opened the first half in the same manner courtesy of a third-minute Corey Parker penalty goal.
Corey Oates finished off a 95m attacking raid from Brisbane four minutes later to put them ahead 8-0.
The Cowboys hit back straight away after a Matt Gillett knock-on from the restart put them deep in Broncos territory.
From the ensuing scrum, Jake Granville dummied his way through the Brisbane line and put Justin O'Neill over.
Granville put on the Cowboys' second try in the 25th minute when he put James Tamou over from close range and the Cowboys led 12-8.
But when the Broncos counter-attacked from a Thurston dropped ball in the 34th minute, Jack Reed forced his way over and Brisbane had regained the lead 14-12, the halftime score.
But history will show the game belonged to the Cowboys' halves in Thurston and Morgan just when all seemed lost.
Broncos prop Sam Thaiday said it was difficult to send out skipper Justin Hodges as a loser.
"It was certainly a tough old game and one that's probably going to go down in history," Thaiday said.
"It's the first time two Queensland teams have played in a grand final. Let's hope it's not the last time. Their squad and our squad - if we can keep them together for the next two years, we might be back in this situation."
