North Queensland have adopted Cronulla's 2016 premiership mantra of "why not us" as they attempt to embark on an unlikely NRL finals run.
Looking ahead to their elimination final against the Sharks on Sunday, stand-in captain Gavin Cooper declared the Cowboys aren't dead in the water just yet.
And they have even stolen a bit of the Sharks' approach, who when asked why they could win last season's premiership, continually flipped it around on their way to an historic first title.
"Why not us?" Cooper asked when questioned if they could make an unlikely run from eighth spot.
"We've shown we can mix it up with the teams at the top of the ladder.
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"We've put in some good performances but it's going to be our best performance of the year this week."
But unlike the third-placed Sharks from last season, who went on a 16-game unbeaten streak, it's easy to find plenty of reasons why the Cowboys won't go all the way.
They have won just one of their past six, their worst end to a regular season since 2010.
They also still have almost $2 million in talent injured on the sideline, namely in the form of Queensland and Kangaroos stars Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott.
And as admirable as they have been with an 8-9 record without Thurston, that figure slips to a worrying 1-9 against the top-eight finishers.
Adding to the roadblocks is the fact that no eighth-placed team has been successful in getting through the first week of the finals since the introduction of the current system in 2012.
But none of those excuses will wash for Cooper, who was adamant they won't be easy prey for the Sharks after the Cowboys only scraped into the top eight following St George-Illawarra's loss to Canterbury on Sunday.
"We're not here just to make up numbers," he said.
"The little bit of luck we had yesterday I think is the first bit we have had all year and we'll run with it.
"There are eight teams today thinking what-if or what-could-have-been. Luckily we have a chance to showcase what we can do."
