This was published 10 years ago
Johnathan Thurston's daughter's doll gets the country talking
Updated ,first published
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With the North Queensland Cowboys celebrating their dramatic victory in the NRL grand final against the Brisbane Broncos, the cameras were firmly fixed on hero Johnathan Thurston after his match-winning field goal.
But no sooner had he reached his family in the crowd, a new story emerged: the doll his daughter Frankie was holding.
The dark-skinned doll in Frankie's hands was greeted with joy on Twitter, as Thurston held an intimate moment with his family.
This was the first NRL grand final between teams with two indigenous captains: Thurston of the Cowboys, and Justin Hodges of the Broncos.
With Thurston taking home the Clive Churchill Medal, it was one of the only times that both the AFL and NRL's best on ground have been indigenous Australians.
The Norm Smith Medal was won by Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli on Saturday.