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Sydney Roosters coach Ricky Stuart claimed his side found the missing link on Friday while premiers Penrith just plain went missing as last year's grand final rematch turned into a bloodbath at Aussie Stadium.
The Roosters set up a 44-12 victory over the Panthers with a first half onslaught, scoring seven stunning tries in a rampant opening 40 minutes highlighted by a 75-metre individual effort by captain Brad Fittler.
The Panthers won the second half but the damage had been done.
Roosters second rower Craig Fitzgibbon couldn't hide the delight at finally exacting revenge on Penrith for last year's grand final loss.
Asked whether it was pleasing to get one back on the Panthers, Fitzgibbon replied: "Bloody oath it is.
"Obviously the grand final hurt and then the rematch (in round four) they got us again.
"I'm not sure how many times they have beaten us over the last few years. We're not stupid. They think they had the wood on us."
Not any more.
The Panthers were ruthlessly exposed in the opening 40 minutes with the Roosters backline - remodelled before kick-off when Stuart recalled centre Justin Hodges and winger Shannon Hegarty - feasting on their opponents.
It was the perfect response following their 26-12 loss to Cronulla last week.
"We found tonight that missing link that we have been missing the last four or five weeks," Stuart said.
"Players can only provide that.
"We had a press conference at training last week. You would swear it was a bus crash, everyone hanging around waiting for us to fall from grace.
"There's a fair bit of kick in us yet."
The victory moved the Roosters back into a share of top spot on the NRL ladder, although the Bulldogs can clear out by two points with a win over Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
Penrith, on the other hand, is in danger of sliding out of the top four.
St George Illawarra, boasting a far superior points differential, can pull within two points of the fourth-placed Panthers on the NRL ladder with a win over the New Zealand Warriors on Saturday.
But both Penrith coach John Lang and Stuart warned against writing off the premiers.
"I don't think it will mentally scar us," Lang said.
"But I hope it does niggle. You can't sit there thinking you will come good. You have to go out and make it happen.
"We should all be stung by it and jolted by it. I don't think it will mentally scar these guys. I think we will grow from it."
Stuart also went into bat for the Panthers, citing his side's reaction to its loss to the Sharks last weekend.
"It might help them," he said.
"It helped us last week. It comes back to how the players handle it. I'm sure John Lang is not going to change anything.
"They'll bounce back from that. They're a very classy football team. Take that game away tonight, they're well in the competition.
"Penrith are a good football team and can beat any side in the competition."
The Panthers were never in the hunt, going in at halftime behind 38-0 after an opening blitz from the Roosters.
Utility Michael Crocker finished the half with two tries while Fittler took an Anthony Tupou off-load, stepped around a defender and used his 32-year-old legs to out-run the chasing defenders in the 31st minute.
That try was part of a five minute burst in which the Roosters crossed three times.
"I can't believe they didn't catch me," Fittler joked.
"I think they have to have a good look at themselves those blokes. I had a winger, a halfback and a five-eighth chasing me."
Penrith reclaimed some pride by winning the second half thanks to two Amos Roberts tries, but the second of those came at a price with the league's leading tryscorer tearing his hamstring.
Roosters forward Adrian Morley also finished the match with a
corked thigh but is likely to be fit for his side's round 24 game
against Canberra.
