North Queensland may be the fairytale of the NRL finals but history shows they must overcome a dire record against the Sydney Roosters to make the season decider.
Paul Green's side have sprung back-to-back upsets on Cronulla and Parramatta to be one victory away from their second grand final appearance in three years.
Unfortunately for the Townsville side, standing in their way are the Roosters who have proven a bogey side since their inception in 1995.
Of the two sides' 35 meetings, North Queensland have won just 10.
On top of that, the Roosters boast a 71 per cent winning record against the Cowboys - their second best strike-rate against any rival.
While it makes for grim reading for Cowboys fans, Roosters skipper Jake Friend is adamant it counts for little.
He spoke glowingly of the way the Cowboys strangled Parramatta out of the game in their 24-16 win and was wary that anything could happen with a grand final berth on the line at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
Asked if he was surprised by the injury-hit Cowboys' march to the third week of the finals, Friend said: "Not really. I was thought it was going to be a tough game.
"They just drowned Parramatta, they kicked them into corners. Michael Morgan controlled that game.
"They defence was outstanding and they controlled the continuity of the game."
The sunshine state underdogs must also overcome a horrendous record at Allianz Stadium where they have won just three of 14 matches against the Roosters.
The old Sydney Football Stadium has been a graveyard for the Cowboys, who haven't beaten the Roosters there since 2010.
Friend said the Tricolours prided themselves on having turned their home ground - where they haven been unbeaten since March - into a fortress in 2017.
"Our offices, our gym are here, we train here, we're here during the day, it's pretty much our second home - we probably are here more than we are at home sometimes," Friend said.
"For us, we love playing here and it's got that familiar feel for us.
"It's just routine."
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