Cameron Smith has labelled the Cowboys as a premiership “dark horse” following an upset victory over the Panthers in round 17.
With both sides missing a host of Origin representatives, North Queensland travelled out to the foot of the Mountains and showed plenty of resolve in a 16-6 win.
The visitors also spent a quarter of the game with 12 men on the field, with young gun Jaxon Purdue and star fullback Scott Drinkwater both spending time in the sin bin.
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Todd Payten’s side however resisted plenty of field position held by the clunky Panthers, moving back into the top-eight and putting their rivals on notice.
Speaking on SEN Radio on Monday morning, Smith heaped praise on the Cowboys and believes recent performances without their rep stars has shown their true character.
Cowboys players celebrate during their round 17 win over Penrith. Getty
“That was a really tough effort on the weekend,” hSEN 1170 Breakfast.
“They seem to be playing pretty good football without their Origin players, which is strange. I was there for the game where they took on the Roosters and it was one of the best games of the year … they had a really strong win in Sydney.
“I actually had them as my premiership favourites for this year, they were a little bit disappointing in the first half of the year. If they find their defence that we seen from a couple of seasons ago, there’s no doubt that they’ve got great ability with the football.
“If they can get their defence sorted… then they’re a chance of doing some really good things in this comp. When they get all their players back and if they can play to their capabilities, they’re a real dark horse in this competition.”
North Queensland have a stacked roster and with attacking threats all across the park, and could certainly be a danger side should they hold their spot in the finals picture.
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Smith also raised the point that the Cowboys have only had one bye this season and once they earn another four points, their ladder position will only improve.
Jeremiah Nanai will return in round 18 for the Cowboys. Ian Hitchcock via Getty Images
“This is why I wish the NRL would scrap these two points for byes because it gives you a bit of a false sense of where everyone’s at,” he said.
“They had to play 15 games without a bye, some other teams have had two already. As soon as they get these extra points for these byes, they’ll start jumping up the ladder.”
North Queensland made a prelim final in 2022 but missed the top-eight last season, with pressure beginning to mount on coach Payten prior to their gritty win on Sunday.
Payten’s men will take on the Sea Eagles in round 18, with both sides stuck in the mid-table logjam and desperate for a victory.
Tom Dearden, Murray Taulagi, Jeremiah Nanai, Valentine Holmes and Reece Robson are all slated to return for the crucial fixture in Townsville.