Lowe says Cowboys love being written off

North Queensland back-rower Ethan Lowe says the Cowboys are relishing being written off, insisting the club will use last year's resurrection from the dead to fight back from adversity once again.

The 1-5 Cowboys are 15th on the Telstra Premiership ladder and are desperate for a win in Saturday night's home clash with Gold Coast.

''No one likes to lose five in a row but the belief has never faltered with this group,'' Lowe told NRL.com leading into his 100th NRL game.

''Last year we were written off when Johnno [Johnathan Thurston] got injured and we showed the belief we had within the team to make the grand final.

''They said last year we wouldnt [make the eight] and look what happened. If we keep working hard for each other good things will come.''  

Working hard is not foreign to Lowe who said his greatest challenge in football came after being snubbed by the Sydney Roosters.

''I was at the Roosters in under 20s for a few years and then was told they didn't see a future for me and to look elsewhere,'' Lowe said.

''We'd been working hard during that final year to get a deal done and they said they were keen but ended up saying no.

''Then I got a trial up here with the Cowboys, had a year with the Northern Pride and ended up signing a deal with the Cowboys after working as hard as I could to impress.

''I've always had to work hard for everything and that is something I enjoy.''

The off-contract 26-year-old can activate an option in his contract to stay on at the Cowboys in 2019 but is undecided on his future.

''I'd like to stay but it is going to be more about what is best for me in the long run,'' he said.

Cowboys coach Paul Green admits he is facing his biggest challenge as a coach with the Cowboys in the midst of a five-game losing streak.

''It is certainly the longest that we have been in a bit of a rut,'' Green said.

''Last year we lost a few but that was more around personnel with a lot of guys out with injury and others carrying injuries.

''Confidence is the biggest thing at the moment and there is no magic fix for it until you probably get a win.

''We've just got to fight for it. There is a lot of effort going into it, but when you put a big effort in and don't get the return you want, the frustration matches the effort. That's probably what has been happening for us.''

Green has been extremely loyal to his men with the goal that they will turn it all around. If they don't he said he would be forced to make changes.

''There are always other options,'' he said.

''I have stuck by the same 17 this week. I don't like to make threats but they all certainly understand where we are as a team.

''We can't just keep trotting out the same 17 and hope it is going to turn itself around.''

Green will be drumming into his players the importance of avoiding a sluggish start against the Titans.

''Our starts have been killing us,'' Green said.

"We've been conceding too many points early and playing from behind a lot so it is really tough to be playing consistent footy when you've got that in the back of your mind.''