Barnstorming North Queensland backrower Tariq Sims says confidence is no issue for him in his latest NRL comeback from horrific injury.

Last year, Sims freakishly broke the same leg for the second straight season but, on Saturday night, he completed the first round-one game of his short career without incident in the Cowboys’ 24-12 win over Canterbury.

Sims was close to a NSW State of Origin debut last year before injury cruelled his chances, and the 23-year-old is sure to be on Blues’ coach Laurie Daley’s radar in 2013 if he can rediscover his damaging best.

But all the hard-hitting giant is thinking about at the moment is settling back into first grade.

Sims was quiet against the Bulldogs with limited game time but says, mentally, he’s on the right track.

“That’s (confidence) never been a problem. If it’s going to go again, it’s going to go again so I can’t really think about worrying about it,” Sims told AAP.

“I’ve got to go in with a clear mind and a winning attitude and things will happen.

“(My goals) are just little things – getting back to normal, getting my targets on the field and getting my fitness up and getting more game time and slowly working back to my game.

“That’s a little goal that I’ve set for myself and hopefully I’ll achieve that during the year.”

The Cowboys have built a roster capable of winning the club its first premiership.

Superstar Johnathan Thurston is still the key, but the driving force behind their campaign will be the contributions of young stars like Sims, Jason Taumalolo and Kane Linnett.

Centre Linnett is deceptively strong and did a brilliant defensive job on damaging Bulldogs ball-runners Tony Williams and Krisnan Inu on the left-edge on Saturday night.

The 24-year-old is excellent on his feet and last year proved a genuine try-scorer.

Linnett was hospitalised in the off-season after a boil on his arm became infected, but has his mind on stepping up to another level in 2013.

“I was pretty nervous first game back … I felt pretty strong in the end and I can keep building from that,” he said.

“My strength felt really good out there – we had big T Rex and Inu coming down our edge trying to get at Johno.”

The Cowboys have been boosted by news Thurston is set to make a decision on his playing future this week.

The Queensland five-eighth is expected to knock back a big offer from Penrith and become a million-dollar player at the Cowboys with what shapes as his last NRL contract.

Linnett said Thurston’s looming decision would be an important boost for the playing group.

“It’s the start of the year and it would be good to know what he’s going to do so we can move on and not think about what he’s going to do,” he said.

“JT, he does so many good things – not only on the field but off the field for the Cowboys.

“It’s a pleasure every time to run outside him. Hopefully he can stay and I can keep running some good lines off him.”