Whether he feels that way after 80 minutes in Townsville on Friday night remains to be seen as the Broncos and Cowboys shape up for one of the biggest intrastate derbies contested between the two sides.

If the Cowboys are the hottest team in the NRL, riding a wave of confidence on the back of six straight wins, Brisbane are fast becoming a benchmark of consistent quality, heading into the final round before Origin on top of the ladder with just the two defeats to their name.

But while the Cowboys are once again being talked about as genuine grand final hopefuls, the Broncos remain to convince everyone of their credentials as they head into the damaging Origin break, set to consume at least five of their players.

The Broncos thrashed the Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium in round three, from which North Queensland responded with a streak of victories that would turn their season around. Bennett knows his side faces a far greater challenge on Friday.

"They're not the same team we played here six weeks ago. They've got some confidence about their game now," Bennett said.

Part of the key to the Cowboys turnaround has been hooker Jake Granville, a speedy rake who has thrived under the new ruck rules to add another layer to North Queensland's attack.

His probing runs from dummy-half have allowed Johnathan Thurston to operate with freedom and return to top form. It wouldn't have been the case should Bennett have been at the Broncos a year earlier, with Granville now considered one that got away.

"He's good, isn't he? I'm not sure why he left here but he'd be handy. Not that I'm unhappy with Andrew [McCullough], he's wonderful. But he'll [Granville] be hard to handle tomorrow night," Bennett said.

Granville played under Cowboys coach Paul Green when he was at Queensland Cup side Wynnum-Manly, but couldn't crack a regular spot in the top grade under former coach Anthony Griffin.

While Granville has been a good news story, the career of Cowboys centre Tautau Moga was in doubt after he ruptured his ACL for the third time in three years.

Scans confirmed the diagnosis to the 21-year-old, who sustained the injury playing for Samoa in the Pacific Test earlier this month. The injury is believed to have occurred on the same knee on every occasion.