Parramatta coach Brad Arthur says a round 21 win against Brisbane was the moment his side finally believed they were one of the NRL's best teams.
The Eels came within a whisker of upsetting Melbourne in Saturday's qualifying final and will meet a resurgent North Queensland on Saturday in a semi-final as a result.
It is a second chance earned courtesy of the Eels' fourth-placed finish, a remarkable turnaround after a salary cap breach reduced the club's 2016 campaign to rubble.
Arthur said the effort and intent had never left, but that the belief was something new.
"We always had ambitions to play finals and ambitions to finish in the top four," Arthur said on Fox Sports' NRL 360.
"But it wasn't until after the Broncos game at ANZ that maybe the belief set in, and they thought it was real, it was close.
"From that point we've played with plenty of confidence."
Disappointed not to have earned the week off after falling just short against the Storm, Arthur knows there was not much wrong with the side's performance.
"It was a game that we probably should have won," Arthur said.
"We made it hard just after halftime with some ill-discipline, gifted them field position and some set starts.
"I was pleased we had plenty of fight, but that first period of ill-discipline really hurt us."
Arthur predicts the Cowboys will present a very similar challenge to the one the Eels faced on Saturday.
"I think they showed exactly how they've gone about their business this year with those gritty, tough, determined performances," Arthur said.
"They don't get flustered, they stay in control and they make it very hard for you to beat them.
"They don't beat themselves."
Former Wests Tigers halfback Mitchell Moses will again be a key figure for Parramatta, the mid-season recruit showing he was up to finals football with a fine display against the Storm.
"It's been a really good fit for both Mitchell and ourselves," Arthur said.
"And helpful for (five-eighth) Corey Norman; we relied on him a lot.
"Having Mitchell there helps with game management, game control and he's got silky skills."
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