The Sydney Roosters' hopes of pushing for the NRL minor premiership could be boosted by the return of co-captain Boyd Cordner from a knee injury next week.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson admitted there was a chance the NSW State of Origin skipper could be back to take on Manly after being shelved since losing to Queensland in the decider.
Speaking after his team's 22-16 win over North Queensland on Saturday, Robinson revealed it was Cordner's ongoing knee issues that contributed to his calf injury in Origin II.
"He's had a chronic knee issue that caused the calf, and he's not been training, and then playing, not been training and then playing, so you just lose strength," Robinson said.
"After six weeks of Origin, you just lose strength. We're not rushing it.
"We're taking our time with it, making sure he gets as many speed sessions, strength sessions in as possible, so he's strong and ready to fire for us at the back end."
Cordner's possible return enhances the Roosters' shot at the minor premiership after Saturday's win lifted the club to within two points of ladder leaders Melbourne.
The Storm face Manly on Sunday, however Robinson insists the top four is the main goal.
"Top four's pretty important in our game. I think statistically it's shown that it's quite important. Good form and keeping up the ladder, that's what we want to do," he said.
"The minor premiership's not important at all."
Robinson praised his team for coming back from 12 points down - their biggest halftime deficit this season - against the Cowboys and then finding the killer instinct in the second half.
Bench forward Sio Siua Taukeiaho was particularly impressive, scoring a try and running for 200 metres in just 40 minutes of playing time.
"We had a couple of guys feel the momentum, and they decided to do something about it, which is really pleasing for this time of the year," Robinson said.
"It started with Mitchell Aubusson, (and Blake Ferguson) came three in off his wing to make a difference and then the whole team followed suit for about 10-15 minutes there.
"It's been a while since I've seen that, so that was pretty impressive."
The Roosters take on the Sea Eagles next week, before a challenging final month against Melbourne, Wests Tigers, Cronulla and Gold Coast.
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