North Queensland may be on the verge of sealing a top eight spot, but coach Paul Green doesn’t want his players to start thinking about finals just yet.

The Cowboys secured a hugely impressive upset win over South Sydney at ANZ Stadium last Saturday.

That victory, combined with their positive for and against record, means Green’s men can virtually assure themselves of finals football with a win over Cronulla at home on Monday night.

Given the Cowboys have won eight straight in Townsville and are coming up against an opponent reeling from last week’s ASADA bans to several players, a positive result appears likely.

But Green is taking nothing for granted, saying until the finals spot is earned, no-one can begin celebrating.

“It’s really dangerous if you start looking too far down the track,” Green said.

“We were very good in most areas last week but there’s certainly areas we can be better in.

“This week is just another opportunity where we can polish those parts of our game that still need improvement.”

Green has opted to name the same team which defeated Souths to take on the Sharks, with representative prop James Tamou to continue his recovery from a neck injury off the interchange bench.

The Cowboys were also hit by last week’s ASADA enforced bans to several players with young outside back Matthew Wright accepting a backdated 12 month ban.

Green says the club is still trying to clarify what activities Wright is limited to during his ban and admits it’s a tough time for the youngster.

“He was shattered after last week,” Green said.

“As a club we’re standing by him. He’s a Cowboy now and we’re supporting him as much as we can.”