Parker: Broncos won’t pick on JT

Brisbane Broncos co-captain Corey Parker says his side won’t use the same questionable tactics as Newcastle did in containing star Cowboy Johnathan Thurston.

North Queensland coach Paul Green was quietly seething after his playmaker received some special attention from a number of Knights during Saturday night’s clash in Townsville.

But he received no joy from the NRL judiciary on Monday with only Beau Scott cited for his high shot on Thurston.

And even that was something of a damp squib with the Knights forward able to avoid suspension with an early guilty plea.

Scott had also been involved in a two-man lifting tackle on Thurston who appeared to be a target throughout the night in the home side’s 16-14 loss to Newcastle.

Parker promised the Broncos won’t do anything illegal when they look to also keep Thurston quiet in Friday night’s clash with the Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium.

“A halfback in any side, in particular him, is going to cop plenty of attention,” Parker said on Monday.

“What I don’t condone … is if you’re outside the rules of the game.

“I didn’t see the (Knights) game but I’ve heard a few whispers and a few talks there was some foul play, so I can’t comment on that other than the fact that a halfback in any side is going to touch the ball generally more times than anyone else.

“If you’re engaging the line to then pass, you’re going to cop a hit every now and then.

“Someone with the presence of JT is going to demand some defenders and we’ll be no different … (but) we’ve all seen enough footy to know when that hit’s too late and when that hit’s play on.”

Front-rower Josh McGuire echoed Parker’s comments, conceding there was no real way of stopping arguably the game’s best player.

“You’ve got to play within the rules and hopefully tackle him before he can get rid of the ball,” he said.

“That’s the hard part.

“He’s one of those players that looks like they’ve got so much time on their hands, you kind of get mesmerised by the way he shows you the ball.

“I don’t know if you pushing the limit, you’ve just got to get good line speed on him.

“That’s the key, trying to make him play earlier.”

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!