Paul Green says he is considering wielding the axe after slow start to the season

COWBOYS coach Paul Green is contemplating wielding the selection axe after admitting North Queensland’s NRL premiership hopes are slipping away.

Johnathan Thurston walks from the field after losing against the Bulldogs.

COWBOYS coach Paul Green is contemplating wielding the selection axe after admitting North Queensland’s NRL premiership hopes are slipping away.

The Cowboys slumped to a fifth straight loss for the first time under Green’s leadership in Saturday’s shock 27-10 defeat to the Bulldogs in Townsville.

No team in the NRL era has ever qualified for a grand final after starting the season with a 1-5 record, the situation Green’s 15th-placed Cowboys find themselves in.

The Cowboys have problems across the board, including some of the club’s best players.

Five-eighth Michael Morgan is in a worrying form slump and co-captain Matt Scott has been slow to rebound from a knee reconstruction.

Johnathan Thurston walks from the field after losing against the Bulldogs.

The Cowboys allowed Canterbury to bounce out to a 19-0 lead and appeared frustrated as they tried to fight their way back into the game.

Green, in his fifth season as coach, could not guarantee he would not make changes to his side for Saturday’s showdown with the Gold Coast Titans at 1300SMILES Stadium.

“We do need to change what’s happening for us on the field,” he said.

“Whether or not that will be personnel or not, I’m not sure.

“We’ve got to fix it and fix it pretty quickly.

“You don’t want to change (the team) for the sake of change. You’ve got to be confident and the players need confidence too.”

Green is unlikely to make wholesale changes to his side given the calibre of players he possesses.

The Cowboys boast six players with State of Origin experience in Johnathan Thurston, Coen Hess, Gavin Cooper, Justin O’Neill, Morgan and Scott along with Test star Jason Taumalolo.

The only two players unavailable in Green’s best 17 are Test prop Jordan McLean (foot) and centre Kane Linnett (pec).

Lachlan Coote and Michael Morgan during the Bulldogs clash. Picture: Alix Sweeney

The effort is there for the Cowboys to snap their losing streak and Cooper said the team had the potential to make a big run to the finals.

“We’re a quarter through the season, we’ll be fine,” he said.

“You don’t forget how to play footy. It’s just getting frustrating at the moment.

“We’re working pretty hard in a lot of areas. We just need to fight a little bit harder in a couple of others and I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

The Cowboys have enjoyed plenty of success during Green’s previous four seasons at the club.

He guided them to the 2015 premiership, the club’s first NRL title, and a shock grand final appearance last year despite missing some of his best players.

Thurston, who has quit representative footy to focus on his final campaign with North Queensland, said he was facing one of the biggest challenges of his 305-game career.

“It’s a big challenge,” he said.

“I’ve got full confidence in the playing group and coaching staff that we can turn this around.

“The group is working extremely hard and will continue to get us out of this. We’ve got to fight for everything.”