At first it was speculated that he wouldn't be ready by game 2 but was surprisingly named in the lineup for the second game after game 1 was won by New South Wales. Queensland won game 2 in a close one with Thurston injuring his shoulder but scoring the winning points by kicking a goal to convert a late try. Following Queensland's game 2 victory; it was revealed that Thurston picked up a season-ending shoulder injury ruling him out for the remainder of the 2017 NRL season, including the round 14 game (which would have been his 300th NRL First Grade Games milestone), game 3 of the 2017 State of Origin Series (which would have been his final Origin game), The Cowboys' grand final defeat by the Melbourne Storm and the World Cup.