North Queensland’s favourite son Johnathan Thurston is adamant the visiting Parramatta Eels have all the work to do in their preliminary final against the Cowboys on Friday night.

Speaking on Channel Nine’s 100% Footy, the premiership-winning legend said the Townsville heat would also play a part.

“The days are hot and it’s a humid night [Friday] as well,” Thurston said.

“They [Parramatta] will struggle and we’ve seen that in Darwin when the boys played at the start of the year against each other but the Parramatta side are a totally different side to that game.”

On that Saturday night in Darwin, the Cowboys smashed the Eels 35-4.