THIS is the best defensive team in Cowboys’ history and players have revealed how a pact to be brutally honest with each other built their brick wall.

Always regarded as a club lacking defensive steel, it is the Cowboys’ will to tackle defensive issues that has propelled them to a home elimination final against the Broncos this Saturday night.

The week one finals derby in Townsville will be a true blockbuster.

Senior players at the Cowboys believe this is North Queensland’s tightest playing group and their bond allows them to tell the truth about each other’s performances – even if the truth hurts.

It has created a will to scramble for every play and has ensured they conceded just 406 points this year – their fewest ever. Rival teams are only averaging three tries per game against the Cowboys this year.

Fullback Michael Morgan said the greatest difference he had noticed under first-year coach Paul Green was how blunt players were on each other’s performances.

“The playing group is a lot tougher on each other this year. That’s the biggest change,” Morgan said.

“We are a lot more accountable to each other and for our own job. Everyone knows what their job is.

“Your teammates know what your role is and let you know if you aren’t doing it. We’ve been big on not letting your mates down this year and the last few weeks especially we have been doing that.”

Green took charge of the Cowboys in November but realistically did not have his team until January, due to World Cup commitments for 12 of their players and assistant coach Terry Matterson.

Eight months later, Green has turned a talented but erratic Cowboys side into a team that has won a club record 10-straight home games.

Their video sessions are harsher, their on-field talk more pointed and their performances more polished.

Now they host the Broncos in finals week one following Penrith’s defeat of the Warriors last night.

The Cowboys have won 14 games this season, the same number they won in 2005 where they surged from fifth to a grand final.

Green inherited an excellent roster from former coach Neil Henry. It was a squad many predicted would be premiership contenders pre-season.

The Cowboys are using new defensive and attacking systems which took months to execute properly.

Asked what his main message was to the players during the pre-season, Green said there were several.

“Being my first go we had to start from scratch in a lot of ways and credit to these boys as they have bought in to what we are trying to do,” Green said. “Early in the year our defence was good but we probably weren’t controlling the ball well enough.

“Now we are putting it together on both sides of the ball.”