Todd Payten has shot down claims from Ricky Stuart that North Queensland will underestimate Canberra in the Townsville heat, accusing the veteran NRL coach of round-one mind games.
Stuart raised eyebrows in North Queensland earlier this week when he suggested Payten's team would expect little from the Raiders in 30C temperatures in their first match of the year.
High levels of humidity are also forecast for North Queensland at kick-off, against a Raiders team renowned for enjoying cold Saturday nights at GIO Stadium during the winter.
The comments went largely unreported after Stuart's weekly press conference in Canberra on Wednesday, but did not go unnoticed by Payten and the Cowboys.
"I did see that comment. I thought it was classic Stick," Payten said.