North Queensland haven't earned the right to be considered genuine NRL title threats by their rivals yet, according to coach Paul Green.
The Cowboys have won their last four games since superstar Johnathan Thurston was ruled out with a shoulder injury, to put them fourth on the ladder.
However they are yet to beat a current top-eight team without Thurston this season, having fallen short on each of the four occasions, against St George Illawarra, Parramatta, Cronulla and Melbourne.
"I think we've had an easier run," Green said.
"The test is yet to come for us. I don't really think teams will really consider us with title threats until we see what happens over the next six weeks."
The 2015 premiers have also been forced to do without chief forward Matt Scott (knee) since round one, while Antonio Winterstein (calf) and Shaun Fensom (ribs) are also battling injury woes at the moment.
Their softer run will will get far tougher on Saturday when they face the second-placed Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium.
They also have a road trip to Melbourne the following week, before facing fellow finals contenders Penrith (away, round 23), Cronulla (home, round 24) and Brisbane (home, round 26).
"I'm happy with the run we've got in," Green said.
"I think it's certainly going to put us in the picture of where we are at compared to other teams, and where we're at within the competition.
"You need to be playing near your best against the best teams. You don't want to be hoping they're having an off day to put you into the game.
"We want to build into the finals."
Share
