Skating on thin ice with injuries, North Queensland would love to "do a Steven Bradbury" and claim the NRL title after falling over the finals line.
Queensland coach Kevin Walters described the injury-hit Cowboys as finals "cannon fodder" after they relied on other results to scrape into the top eight.
And Maroons great Gorden Tallis believed their injury plight was so bad they would have to "do a Bradbury" if they were to claim a second title in three years.
But Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt liked the idea.
"Steven Bradbury? He got the (speed skating) gold didn't he? I will take that," he said of Tallis' assessment.
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The Cowboys somehow still made the top eight despite losing five of their last six games as they battled an injury list that ballooned out to 12 players just three weeks ago.
Only one team has made the NRL grand final after winning just one of their final six matches - Cronulla last year.
However, North Queensland playmaker Michael Morgan said they deserved to be in the finals and would prove it in Sunday's NRL elimination clash with defending champions Cronulla at Allianz Stadium.
"We didn't end up there on the ladder for no reason," he said.
"Yes it was a grinding year at times but in the end we got enough points to get into the eight.
"It wasn't just luck that got us there.
"We have worked as hard as anyone else.
"We put ourselves in a position to be there. It's not that we are not good enough."
No team outside the top four has won the premiership in the current NRL finals system since 2012.
And North Queensland's Allianz Stadium numbers aren't great.
They have won just one of seven finals there including the past six.
Overall, the Cowboys have won six of 23 matches at the Sydney venue, losing the past seven.
But asked if they could win from eighth, Morgan said: "I do think it can happen.
"Once you are there, you are a chance.
"If you break it down it is just four games.
"If we nullify those 10 to 15-minute periods in games where we let ourselves down we are in with a chance.
"There is still belief in the group. Hopefully now it starts to click."
