CLASSIC children’s game Jenga and the words of a psychologist have emerged as the keys to the Cowboys breaking their losing streak.

University of Queensland sports psychologist Cliff Mallett flew to Townsville last week to help reshape the attitude of Cowboys’ players.

Bizarrely, a key plank of his strategy was Jenga, the block building game that requires participants to create a taller tower by carefully destabilising their current one.

media_camera Sports psychologist Dr Cliff Mallett.

Mallett and coach Paul Green used the game to teach the players how to focus on the moment.

It worked, albeit largely thanks to some late “JT” magic.

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The Cowboys had lost three games in a row and were down 16-4 at half-time against the Melbourne Storm on Monday night.

They fought back to win 18-17 through Johnathan Thurston's brilliance and a pack that finally dominated their opposition.

“When you play Jenga, it’s about staying in the moment. I think that was a really key thing for us as individuals, as well as a team,” Green told The Courier-Mail.

“It's about being at your best — and to be at your best, you've got to clear your head and be in the moment ... we did that last week as a group and it was good.

“I've had an association with Cliff for a number of years and I just find him to be really good, really practical and he's certainly helpful.”

Mallett has a decade-long friendship with Green, who also spoke to the Cowboys last year.

While they have their first win of the year, the Cowboys are far removed from the premiership contenders they were hyped to be in the pre-season.

However, their last 30 minutes against the Storm was exceptional.

They now have to bottle that effort and pour it out over 80 minutes as they embark on a daunting Sydney road trip with matches against Penrith and South Sydney.

“We try to get the players to focus on their strengths — to admit that yes, there are things in their game that need improvement, but focusing on their strengths and what they do well will help them under pressure,” Mallett said.

media_camera North Queensland Cowboys claim victory against the Melbourne Storm.

“If you continue to worry about you can’t do, you wont be thinking about what you can do.

“The overall mindset is about shifting your thinking from your deficits to your strengths ...

“I didn't go up there and wave a magic wand.”