Johnathan Thurston has done it all.

Four Dally Ms, four Rugby League Players' Association awards, Two Golden Boots, nine State of Origin series wins.

So where does this premiership win, more than a decade after his first coming off the bench for Canterbury, rank amongst all the achievements?

"Number one," Thurston replied.

Asked to elaborate why, the Clive Churchill medalist said: "Because that's what you do. That's what you do. You go out every year and I can't be prouder of the boys, the way they've gone about their business the whole year. Whoever has come in to do a job for us, they've done a job. That was evident during the Origin period, we had boys come in and did the job and we only lost one game in that period.

"In the past that's when we've been at our weakest. I can't be prouder of the boys, they deserve everything they get."

In perhaps the most dramatic grand final in history - certainly the first to go beyond 80 minutes - Thurston had an opportunity to finish the game in regular time. But his sideline conversion cruelly bounced off the post.

"I was striking them really well yesterday so I was always confident of hitting it," he said. "I just didn't have enough swing coming back. I thought it was over for all money. I was a little bit shattered there when it didn't go over, you could probably see that on my face.

"The boys came over and snapped me out of it pretty quick and I had to concentrate on the next 10 minutes."

He did just that when play resumed, slotting the field goal that separated the sides in golden point. The result was North Queensland's first premiership.

"It's pretty hard to put into words how you're feeling and what it means not only for the team but for the region," coach Paul Green said. "If I can sum it up I'm proud of how they won tonight. It says a lot about the team, how they've gone about everything they've done this year.

"[The manner] is fitting given the way we've played at different times this year. It shows the fighting spirit amongst our team, we know we're never out of a game. Tonight was no different."

After accepting his Clive Churchill medal and hoisting the Provan-Summons trophy, Thurston spoke of the need for the government to invest in a new stadium in the north during the presentation ceremony.

Asked if he had heard back yet from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, 'JT' said: "Not yet. The region deserves it. A lot of our members travel from more than an hour away to get to our home games every week. We have people who drive down from the cape, as far west as Mount Isa, down western Queensland.

"The fans deserve it."