He jokes about it but Sam Thaiday’s 80-minute “no show” against North Queensland nine years ago means his 150th NRL game for Brisbane will have to wait until Friday week’s away clash with Wayne Bennett’s Newcastle Knights.

Friday night’s game will be Thaiday’s first home appearance as captain on a night when record-breaking Test prop Petero Civoniceva makes his long-awaited homecoming after four seasons leading the Panthers pack.

When reminded on Tuesday that his 80 minutes sitting on the bench against the Cowboys in Townsville in 2004 under Bennett had cost him a 150th NRL game at home this weekend, Thaiday laughed and said: “I got a match payment for it”.

“I sat on the bench for 80 minutes … I don’t know if they counted it, probably not.

“But I still got paid.”

Thaiday won’t be doing any bench warming on Friday night after again being named in the front-row. With a world club championship game added to his 148 NRL appearances he will get to log another milestone – 150 games for the Broncos.

Civoniceva will come off the bench.

Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin recalled on Tuesday the first time he laid eyes on Thaiday as a front-rower playing for Toowoomba in the state league.

“He had a skin head in those days,” said Griffin.

“I knew who he was. I’d seen him play for Queensland 17s.

“It was his first year out of (high) school and he was carving us big time.

“In those days, the young blokes played first grade and he played for Toowoomba.

“He gave us a heap of trouble that day and I remember looking at him and thinking ‘this guy is going somewhere’.”

Griffin was right.

But 148 NRL games for Brisbane, 15 State of Origins for Queensland and 16 Tests for Australia is something Thaiday never thought would happen when he arrived at the Broncos out of high school.

“Not at all … it’s gone pretty fast,” said Thaiday of his latest career milestone.

“This is my 10th season at the club. I counted them on my fingers the other day.

“It’s a nice little milestone I’m racking up. It’s my first game as captain at home and it’s my 150th game for the club and I’m playing it against the Cowboys, a team I supported as a young kid.”

They also happen to be the club which overlooked him as a NRL prospect before the Broncos swooped.