Apparently, seconds prior to the match-winning move, he and Thurston we ready to run a different play - on the other side of the field. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, Thurston decided to switch to the left side. Slater "just followed him" for the winning 4-pointer.
What impresses me is the speed and clarity of thinking. While us mere spectators are struggling just to deal with the tension and cheer for our team, there's Jonathan Thurston. He's run several kilometres, been in dozens of physical collisions (the word tackle doesn't do it justice) and has millions of people watching his every play. He also knows he will receive the ball within seconds.
In between catching his breath and weighing up his options, he finds a second to analyse the defensive line, and identify a potential weakness. Maybe not the same kind of intelligence that works out the square root of 289, or can distinguish between the music of Chopin and Bach, but in terms of summing up a situation and taking decisive action - it's right up there.
Something to think about, next time i'm taking 15 minutes just to decide what to have for dinner.
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