Obviously, we want to qualify for the finals first and foremost and finish as high up the ladder as we possibly can to give ourselves the best chance in the big end of season games.

But if you're asking me if we are a genuine top four team right now, I'd have to say no. I don't reckon we have earned it yet.

For one thing, we haven't been anywhere near consistent enough to consider ourselves among the competition's elite. Our win over Manly last Sunday was only the second time this season that we have strung two wins back-to-back.

We have been up and down like a yo-yo with our form and you don't win anything when you are stuck on a rollercoaster like that.

The two best sides in the competition to my way of thinking at this point of the season are Penrith and Melbourne.

The Panthers have won nine straight and since our 14-all draw with them in round 3, they have won 10 from 11. That's amazing consistency and with players like Nathan Cleary and Api Koroisau calling the shots, they are playing with so much confidence.

Likewise the Storm. They have won their last eight and have been beaten only twice all year. Even without the two Camerons, Smith and Munster, they have been getting the business done. For us, those two sides are the yardsticks.

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Here we are taking about it being an achievement hopefully winning three in a row against the Cowboys on Sunday which shows we have some ground to make up.

In a real positive, I guess what the Manly win proved was we are now capable of coping and over-coming some adversity during a game. It wasn't a great performance by any stretch but fighting back twice to get the points against a side playing for their season shows we have developed some character.

I said afterwards it was a game we would have lost last season so we can take some confidence out of knowing we can do it the hard way if we find ourselves in that position again.

As for the Cowboys, we won't need a warning about it being a danger game after they ambushed us up in Townsville last time.

The first half up there was the worst we have played all year. We just didn't turn up and they are a better side now then they were back then.

Just looking at their pack, they have Jason Taumalolo, Jordan McLean, Josh McGuire and Coen Hess and Michael Morgan is a massive in for them at halfback.

They are a lot better side than their ladder position says and they won't be coming down here for a holiday. They'd still be filthy to let a win over Souths slip away last weekend and they'll come here thinking they are a real chance of an upset.

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