North Queensland needed extra time to beat Brisbane 26-20 in Townsville on Friday night and now prepare to head to Sydney to face Cronulla for a spot in the grand final.

The Cowboys flogged the Sharks last year in the finals on the way to the premiership and fans in the Shire, desperate for a maiden premiership, will be hoping Johnathan Thurston and his men are on their last legs after a pair of draining games.

But Bennett, whose Broncos farewelled captain and backrow great Corey Parker, said the reigning premiers will now have the belief they can go back-to-back despite niggles to leading players including Matt Scott, who copped a stray elbow early in the match.

"They've got seven days to recover. They're a durable side. You couldn't say that they couldn't do it. They'll think they can," Bennett said.

Cowboys coach Paul Green signalled a quiet week in the north as they took stock. They won't get back Ethan Lowe, out for the year with a bulging disc, but his replacement Coen Hess was a sensation in a pack with man-of-the-match Jason Taumalolo at the vanguard.

"Given we played 90 minutes of footy tonight at a hectic pace in hot conditions, most of next week will be about recovery," Green said.

While Ben Hunt took a while to live down his dropped kick-off in the grand final, this time it was Matt Gillett's turn to look back with a tinge of regret. His trip on Thurston in the 79th minute allowed the Cowboys to send it to extra time. Parker sounded less than pleased with his now former team-mate.

"Ten to go against the Cowboys, I thought we were going to be able to hold them out. It came down to a bit of foul play they got two points off," Parker said.

When asked if it was just a reactionary movement from Gillett, he said: "You'd have to ask him."

Certainly the trip wasn't on the high end of the scale and Bennett hinted that the leg may have gone out after the initial contact with between Gillett and Thurston, who are Maroons and Kangaroos team-mates.

Thurston, not surprisingly, thought it was the right call. And this appeared to be a case where referees got it right in the heat of the moment in a huge match.

"I thought I was through and he's stuck his leg out and didn't miss. A penalty was sufficient. It's very unlike him to do that," Thurston said.

Teenage debutant Kalyn Ponga was rock-solid in his first appearance in the top grade and showed glimpse of the brilliant space running and footwork that has many suggesting the sky is the limit for the schoolboy rugby star.