North Queensland Cowboys coach Todd Payten believes Friday night's loss to the Penrith Panthers shows his overperforming side can beat the competition heavyweights.
The Cowboys came into the season with most predicting a bottom-four finish for the men from Townsville, and the betting markets agreed.
Halfway into the season though, the Cowboys made the trek to Penrith for what was described as a potential match of the season to date on the back of six straight wins.
Unfortunately for neutral fans though, the Panthers put yet another competition heavyweight away with a commanding performance, ultimately picking up a 22-0 victory.
Despite the scoreline, there is more than a thought that it should have been a lot more, with Penrith holding 57 per cent of possession.
That went with a total of 39 from 49 completions, and while the Cowboys didn't help themselves with errors - completing just 23 of 37 sets - their defence held up when it mattered for the most part.
By the time it was all said and done, the Cowboys had made a staggering 426 tackles, with just 30 missed, compared to Penrith's 34 misses and 314 completed.
Individually, Reuben Cotter made 63 tackles without a miss, while Reece Robson and Jeremiah Nanai both made north of 50.
Payten said he took plenty of positives from the game.
"I walk away knowing we can beat them if we get our fair share of possession," Payten said.
"There were moments of that first half where I thought we really worried them with the ball. We just couldn't find the patience or the last pass.
"We just looked comfortable for the most part defending ... I really enjoyed some of our defensive resilience.
"I know we're headed in the right direction and there is a real belief and desire in our group to keep turning up."
While the Cowboys didn't manage to register a point against Penrith, it has been their attack which has been a talking point over the last six months, running up 191 points in those six games.
They will take on the Gold Coast Titans, St George Illawarra Dragons, Manly Sea Eagles and Brisbane Broncos over the next month before having a bye ahead of Origin 3.
