Brisbane Broncos Captain Darius Boyd has brushed off his team’s hammering at the hands of Parramatta last round as the powerhouse club prepares for a vital derby game this Thursday against North Queensland.

A win against the wounded Cowboys would keep Brisbane away from a Week 1 Finals trip to face the Melbourne Storm.

“There are things we can improve and things we weren’t happy with,” he said of the loss to Parramatta.

“But I think we just have to put it down to one of those games – they scored after 12 seconds and had some early tries.

“I think our effort was good but our attention to detail in key areas was lacking.

“We need to fix that up.”

Boyd said the Broncos weren’t worried about their northern rivals who were fighting for survival in the Top 8.

“They are playing for a top eight spot but we are playing for some form and a good spot in the finals ourselves.”