No longer Johnathan Thurston’s second fiddle, Michael Morgan staked his claim for legendary status at North Queensland as he guided the Cowboys to the most unlikely of NRL grand finals.

Morgan had a hand in his team’s first three tries in Saturday night’s 29-16 preliminary-final win over the Sydney Roosters, as the Cowboys became just the second eighth-placed team to reach October in the NRL era.

For so much of the finals series, Cowboys’ doubters had pointed at who the team was missing – namely Thurston and Matt Scott.

But halfback Morgan proved on Saturday the focus should be on who the team still has left, beginning with himself.

Aside from the three-try involvements, he also booted a 40-20 early in the match to set up North Queensland’s ascendancy and kicked a field goal late to seal the win.

When Thurston was ruled out in June for the season with a shoulder injury, it could have broken Morgan.

Instead, it has been the making of the Queensland utility as he has commanded the Cowboys to all three of their finals wins.

On Saturday, he provided the ball for halves partner Te Maire Martin to get the Cowboys’ first through one of the tries of the finals series.

Martin received the ball 40 metres out and beat Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Mitchell Pearce before he wrong-footed Aidan Guerra and Michael Gordon to beat Isaac Liu to the line.

Making their combination even more amazing is that before June, the pair had never played or trained together. Martin arrived after being dropped by pre-season favourites Penrith.

Then as the Cowboys trailed 12-8 with 25 minutes to play, Morgan was at it again. Taking the ball to the line, he threw a bullet cut-out pass for Kane Linnett to score.

But the Roosters scored again to lead 16-14.

And who else to stand up and keep the Cowboys’ charge going but Morgan again?

With 15 minutes to play, he provided a two-man cutout for Linnett, who managed to get the ball to his winger Kyle Feldt who crossed with centimetres to spare.

It was the kind of magic NRL fans expected from Thurston.

But it’s exactly what Morgan has produced all finals series.

And if he can do it again next Sunday, who could argue against it being one of the greatest months a Cowboy has produced?