September

HEADLINES THIS MONTH n Finals fever n Roosters’ minor achievement n Burgess loses his bottle n Hodges freed n Hayne makes the cut n Painkiller problem n JT’s historical win n Semi the record breaker A busy month for the boys from the north September 7 Absent captains Melbourne Storm skipper Cameron Smith and North Queensland co-captains Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott are no shows at the NRL’s finals series launch in Sydney, which features the captains of the other six finalists. Smith admits to a virus, while the Cowboys pair cite injuries as reasons for their absence. September 15 Accolades continue for ‘JT’ North Queensland halfback Johnathan Thurston is named players’ player of the year for the fourth time at the Rugby League Players’ Association awards night. September 19 Terrific in Townsville Test prop Matt Scott leads North Queensland to a 39-0 demolition of Cronulla in the…