Three-time premiership winner Cameron Smith has named which team he believes is the 'dark horse' to win the 2024 NRL Premiership.
The NRL season is moving towards the backend of the competition, and multiple teams have showcased they have what it takes to dethrone three-time defending premiers, the Penrith Panthers.
At the moment, the Cronulla Sharks and Melbourne Storm are looming as Penrith's biggest threats, but former representative captain and three-time premiership winner Cameron Smith believes another team has what it takes to win the competition.
Speaking on SEN Mornings, Smith has predicted that the North Queensland Cowboys are his 'dark horse' to win the competition and shouldn't be counted out of the Grand Final race.
The statement from Smith comes after the Cowboys defeated the Penrith Panthers away from home without all their State of Origin representative players - Valentine Holmes, Murray Taulagi, Tom Dearden, Reuben Cotter, Reece Robson, Jeremiah Nanai.
The victory also saw them claim their fourth win from their past five matches, which saw them face off against the likes of the Sydney Roosters and Canberra Raiders.
“That was a really tough effort on the weekend with no Origin players,” Smith said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“They seem to be playing pretty good football without their Origin players, which is strange.
“I was there for the game where they took on the Roosters and it was one of the best games of the year, they took them on without their Origin players and had a really strong win in Sydney.
“When they get all their players back and if they can play to their capabilities, they're a real dark horse in this competition."
Surprisingly, Smith revealed that the Cowboys were actually his premiership favourites to begin the season and belives that if their defensive effort can stand up they will be a real force during the finals series.
“I actually had them as my premiership favourites for this year, they were a little bit disappointing in the first half of the year… but if they find their defence that we seen from a couple of seasons ago, there's no doubt that they've got great ability with the football and they can find points but if they can get their defence sorted… then they're a chance of doing some really good things in this comp," he added.
The North Queensland Cowboys will face the Manly Sea Eagles on Saturday night as they look to claim a spot in the top-four but will have to compete against a returning Tom Trbojevic.