The North Queensland Cowboys are back in the mix after a strong 30-10 win over Penrith at Pepper Stadium on Monday night.

Legendary pivot Johnathan Thurston was at his very best and already has eyes for a showdown with South Sydney next week.

“t doesn’t get any bigger than coming up against the reigning premiers. So that’ll be a good test for us to see where we’re at as a side,” Thurston said at the press conference after the twenty point win.

“That’s the challenge for us there. Obviously they’re a very big pack, they roll through the middle third and Issac Luke plays off the back of it. We’ve got our hands full next week.”