A pig hunting expedition may have eluded him but North Queensland five-eighth Travis Burns now has some Bunnies in his sights - especially South Sydney halfback Chris Sandow.

Burns said the diminutive Rabbitohs No.7 would be a "target" when the in-form Cowboys try to end a horror run against the Rabbitohs at Townsville on Saturday night.

The Cowboys pivot may have been cleared of a knee injury for the NRL clash but Burns is still gutted that an intensive rehabilitation during last weekend's bye forced him to miss a long awaited trip.

"I had a pigging trip up the Gulf (of Carpentaria) which I had planned for months so I was pretty shattered - but footy comes first," Burns said.

"I was in here doing physio twice a day to get back on the field. We are in a good patch of form so I don't want to miss any games."

In all, Burns spent nine days straight in the gym to ensure his knee had recovered - a fair achievement considering medical staff feared the worst when he limped off in their last game against Newcastle.

But it seems Burns and his Cowboys will still be in the hunt on the weekend - with Sandow expected to be heavily tracked.

"Because he is a little bit small he is a target," Burns said on Friday.

"And I think he has missed something like 80 tackles this year.

"If there is a chance to spot him with (Cowboys backrower) Luke O'Donnell (tackling him), we are going to get at him."

And Burns can vouch for O'Donnell's handiwork.

As a proud Queenslander, Burns has been bursting to remind the Cowboys' only Blues representative O'Donnell about the Maroons' Origin I win.

But at 175cm and 85kg, Burns does not believe the time is right to heckle the 186cm, 102kg NSW backrower just yet.

"He does a bit of work in the gym and he knows all these locks," Burns laughed.

"And he is always getting me on the ground and getting me in head locks and ankle locks so I might keep it a bit quiet."

North Queensland have had a luckless recent run against South Sydney, losing their last four games against the Bunnies.

South Sydney broke a seven-game losing run to notch their first win of 2008 - 28-24 in Sydney - against North Queensland before breaking hearts in Townsville in round 16 with a 29-28 victory.

"Everyone is keen to get one back on them," Burns said.

And with in-form Queensland halfback Johnathan Thurston and impressive NSW second rower O'Donnell returning, Burns likes their odds.

"The myth of being beaten after the bye, hopefully we can put that to sleep come Saturday," he said.

"It's all in the head. There's no reason why we can't start well - it's a game we should win."

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