League: Thurston free to play Origin decider

North Queensland co-captain Johnathan Thurston is free to play in next month's State of Origin decider after being found not guilty of making contact with a referee by the NRL judiciary.

Thurston was facing a two-game ban as a result of the grade two charge, which stemmed from his collision with Matt Cecchin in the Cowboys' win over the Warriors on Saturday night.

A guilty finding would have wiped Thurston out of Origin 3 on July 6 in Brisbane - in what would have been a major blow to Queensland's hopes of securing a sixth-straight series win.

But the three-man panel of Ian Roberts, Michael Buettner - both former NSW Origin representatives - plus Sean Garlick, deemed the contact accidental, but only after a lengthy deliberation lasting 45 minutes that would no doubt have had the champion playmaker nervous.