Too Deadly: Why Johnathan Thurston Will Never Turn Down An Indigenous All Stars Jersey

Rugby league great and proud First Australian man, Johnathan Thurston, had the best excuse out of anyone looking to rest themselves from tonight's Indigenous All Stars vs NRL World All Stars rugby league exhibition match.

At 33 years old, he is staring down the barrel of one of the most gruelling seasons in rugby league history; one that will begin tonight before including a further 23 regular NRL games, three State of Origin matches, four finals games, and a six game world cup campaign, ending in some ten months time.

Yet, on the same day World All Stars players, Jarryd Hayne and Joey Leilua joined the host of big names opting to sit out tonight's game (Sam Thaiday, Adam Reynolds, Will Chambers and Jake Trbojevic are the others), Thurston said his appearance for the Indigenous team will be a non-negotiable now as it will be in the future, as long as he's fit and able. The match simply means to much to his people.

"The stuff we do throughout the week in the community far outweighs the game.

"The power of sport and rugby league is to create social change — that's what this game does," he said.

Thurston also backed the expansion of the concept, telling reporters he one day hopes to tour the world with the Indigenous All-Stars side.

"A dream of mine for the future is to have an indigenous side play a Maori side or a Scotland side or something like that and we can take our culture and bring it to life in other areas of the world.

"We're passionate and we have a lot of history and, if we can take that to other countries around the world, then that'd be a great thing," he said.

Thurston was born to a Gungarri woman, from southern-inland Queensland, and a Maori father. He is one of the great First Australian sporting role models whose success with the Indigenous-heavy Queensland State of Origin squad (including such other First Australian stars as Sam Thaiday and Greg Inglis) has been a source of immense pride for his people.

For over a decade, Thurston has used his profile to spearhead countless fundraising programs for First Australians and to raise awareness about their plight. The statistics regarding the condition of First Australians make for sobering reading. Twenty five years on from a Royal Commission into black deaths in custody the number of Aboriginal prisoners behind bars has doubled. Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander juveniles are 24 times more likely to be locked up than their white counterparts, and 13 times more likely among the adult population. Despite making up just 3% of the population, they make up 27% of the prison population.

When Sydney Swans footballing legend, Adam Goodes, found himself in the centre of an ugly nationwide racism row, it was Thurston who organised a leading contingent of Indigenous rugby league players to perform their own war dances in solidarity.

"I'll show my respect for Adam, indigenous athletes and all the indigenous people with a little move on the weekend if I'm lucky enough to score," he said back in 2015 (he didn't score and the war dance never happened).

Sport, in particular rugby league, has been disproportionately dominated by First Australians in the modern era. Despite making up just 3% of the population, Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander sportsmen make up 12% of the NRL and 9% of the AFL playing lists.

Tonight will be the seventh Indigenous All-Stars vs World All-Stars fixture with the ledger even at three a piece between the two sides. Each game begins with a richly cultural First Australian war dance and typically sees Indigenous players perform traditional dance moves as part of their post-try celebrations. The war dance is particularly important, acting as a pointer to Indigenous Australia's proud history of warriors and resistance fighters who took part in Australia's great untold shame, t[he Frontier Wars, which lasted for 146 years following the arrival of settlers.](First Australian warriors and resistance during the course of the largely unreported) A period in which the Indigenous population of Australia was reduced by around 90 per cent.

The Indigenous All Stars will start the game as raging hot favourites following the withdrawal of a number of World All Stars players. Both NSW and Queensland Origin coaches, Laurie Daley (a First Australian man from Canberra) and Mal Meninga have thrown their full support behind the fixture.

"There have been so many Indigenous players that have played our game in over 100 years. It's a fantastic team. The guys are excited to go out there and throw the ball around and I think you will see an open, entertaining game," said Daley.