Watch footy legend Johnathan Thurston freak out as Channel Nine colleagues pull a HILARIOUS prank in Darwin
- Was in the NT for match between Parramatta and Brisbane
- Took time to enjoy the Top End before the game
- Was well stitched up by his fellow commentators
It’s not the first time Thurston has had a close encounter with the scaly species.
On the pitch, Queensland State of Origin champion Johnathan Thurston was undeterred. When faced with a harmless boomslang, not so much.
The former Cowboys NRL premiership winner was in Darwin this week to commentate Friday night’s game between the Brisbane Broncos and Parramatta Eels.
During the week, the Channel Nine team took time to check out the Top End’s sights, including the Crocosaurus Cove animal park.
While Thurston and Danika Mason were finishing up a segment, the team decided to play an all-time prank on the World Cup winning Kangaroos halfback.
Thurston gave his trademark laugh and turned right to leave, but a Crocosaurus Cove employee was waiting with the giant snake in her hands.
Thurston turned and got the fright of his life when confronted by this snake being held by a Crocosaurus Cove handler
Soon after, all was forgiven and the Thurston and his new reptilian friend were more or less best of friends.
The shock it gave Thurston was almost enough to knock him out of his shoes.
“Holy dooley!” he cried.
Seeing the humor in the joke, Thurston spent time with the snake draped around his neck for photos and vision, though he didn’t look entirely comfortable with the situation.
“Hahaha JT wouldn’t last 5 minutes in the bush,” one fan posted.
“I’m with you on that one JT. Eekkkkk,” posted another.
The vision was loved on Instagram by several of Thurston’s former teammates, including Kyle Feldt, along with current players like Haumole Olakau’atu.
In his playing time, the champion halfback also got closer than he would have liked to a brown snake during a 2014 NRL match.
A Cowboys fan tries to corral the snake that had invaded the pitch during North Queensland’s 2014 showdown with the Gold Coast Titans
Thurston was on the field when this slippery customer appeared unexpectedly before disappearing down a drain
On a warm night on the Gold Coast, spectators jumped to their feet early in the first half of the Titans versus Cowboys game when a snake slithered onto the field in the southeast corner.
The snake, which was three feet long, made its way into the crowd before disappearing into a water pipe under the grandstand, despite security efforts to contain it.
Thurston also lashed out at his dream car in 2018: a 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake.
After a career spanning 16 seasons in rugby league, the star player treated himself to the rare special gift for himself for around $400,000.
Only 50 of these vehicles were made and Thurston was lucky enough to acquire one. What makes this Mustang even more unique is that only two of its kind were produced with right-hand drive.