The Sydney Roosters admit their diabolical record against the NRL heavyweights has caught them off guard.
But superstar skipper James Tedesco and veteran playmaker Luke Keary insist there are no alarm bells ringing despite the Tricolours having won only one match out of 20 against Penrith and Melbourne since 2020.
Equally disconcerting for Roosters fans is the side's one-from-eight record against the current top-eight teams in 2024, while Trent Robinson's much-fancied outfit have yet to beat anyone above them on the ladder this season.
The damning statistics, which also include a 10-0 win-loss record against bottom-eight opposition, have exposed the Roosters as the flat-track bullies of the league.
"That's honestly the first time I've heard it," Keary said on Tuesday.
"We obviously know we haven't beaten Penrith in a while and there's a few teams that haven't beaten them in a while, too.
"But it's a little bit surprising that Melbourne one. We've had a lot of close games against them.
"Yeah, it's not too concerning. Obviously we're going to have to beat those sides to win it all and we'll hopefully get another shot at a few of those sides at the back-end of the year."
Sixth-placed Canterbury are the fourth-ranked Roosters' only top-eight scalp this campaign.
Tedesco, though, is adamant the class of '24 can add another title to their 2018 and 2019 premierships before the golden era ends when the likes of Keary, fellow stalwarts Joey Manu and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and code-hopping Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii move on at season's end.
"When you're playing against a top team, it's tough to win. That's pretty clear," Tedesco said, three days after suffering a 24-8 loss to the Storm in Melbourne.
"Most teams will experience that, especially going down to Melbourne. I don't know how many teams have gone out of Melbourne and won this year.
"But it's a good lesson to learn. We can take some positives out of it because there's probably a big chance we verse them down there again in the finals.
"If that happens, we can make some improvements and really go on a run and build some confidence at the end of the year like we did last year and take that to the finals."
The Roosters get the chance to claim a first top-five scalp of the year on Saturday night at home to fifth-placed Manly, who they lost to in round two.
"We're a lot better team than when we versed them in round two," Tedesco said.
"We've got to learn our lessons from the weekend and not give away too much possession and penalties and field position.
"But I don't think much of the last four or five years - we're a different team this year and we're in a great position.
"We've got two games and a bye, which is a great time for us. We can really freshen up and get ready to for the last four games and then hit the ground running for the finals."
