North Queensland Cowboys to table Johnathan Thurston a $5 million offer Johnathan Thurston in action in last night's win against the Bulldogs. JOHNATHAN Thurston's future will be one step closer to being resolved this week, with the Cowboys to finally table the official offer they hope will trump the $5 million being offered by rich Sydney rivals. With the Panthers and Bulldogs leading the charge to lure the game's No. 1 playmaker to Sydney, Thurston is expected to receive his first official offer this week from the Cowboys. It is a package they hope will see him finish his career in North Queensland. Thurston is expected to be offered a new four-year deal that will see him paid in excess of $1 million a year with third-party sponsorship and training for a post-football career. The Cowboys are desperate to retain the Test five-eighth and have been working for several months to put together a competitive deal. The Cowboys are expected to make their sales pitch as soon as today, when they return to Townsville after last night's clash with the Bulldogs at Bluetongue Stadium. Thurston terrorises Barba-less Dogs The club is confident the rich four-year deal will be enough to keep Thurston. Cowboys coach Neil Henry expects Thurston to make a decision on his future this week. After watching Thurston produce a masterclass in his first game since the All Stars, Henry delivered an update on the most talked about off-contract player in the game. "He is close," Henry said. ``I think we will get a decision this week." The Panthers remain the biggest threat, with reports the western Sydney club has discussed offering Thurston a four-year deal worth an estimated $900,000 with third-party top-ups worth around $500,000 a year. The Bulldogs have also shown interest in the Cowboys star, but it is expected that they will not be able to cobble together a competitive offer with their star studded line-up already presenting salary-cap constraints. The 2012 grand finalists are also on the verge of re-signing boom five-eighth Josh Reynolds, which could be seen as an admission of defeat. The Broncos, Sharks and Eels have also been tossed up as potential homes for the code's top playmaker. Thurston has previously spoken of his desire to stay in North Queensland, but his commitment depends on the club's ability to match the third-party sponsorships and lucrative opportunities on offer in Sydney. Peter Parr confirmed that negotiations to retain Thurston would ramp up this week with the football general manager to met with the playmaker's manager Sam Ayoub. "We will be talking to Sam over the next few days and we will see what happens," said Parr. We have always been confident but Johnathan has to take a fair bit into account. We will just do our best and I think Johnathan will make a decision sooner rather than later. We are just going to work through that process with Sam this week. Thurston's deal is expected to make him the highest paid player in the game, with Souths fullback Greg Inglis setting the tone when he signed a five-year upgrade worth $4 million last year. Thurston's manager Sam Ayoub declined to comment about the new deal when contacted last night.