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Melbourne Renegades have set a new mark for the worst opening to a title defence in any major Australian men's sporting league this century.
Melbourne Renegades have claimed an unwanted slice of Australian sporting history.
The horror 0-5 start to the red team's title defence under new coach Michael Klinger is the worst among major men's sporting leagues this century.
Manly Sea Eagles (NRL - 2009), Adelaide 36ers (NBL - 2002/03), Brisbane Roar (A-League - 2014/15) and Sydney Thunder (BBL - 2016/17) lost their opening four matches after grand final wins the previous season but won their fifth.
Melbourne Victory (2007/08) opened their A-League championship defence with five draws, while Sydney FC (2010/11) and Adelaide United (2016/17) also had draws but no wins.
The Renegades' losing streak extended to five at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night when the visiting Sydney Sixers claimed a six-wicket win with one ball to spare.
Cross-town rivals Melbourne Stars, who are flying with four wins from five matches, will now look to twist the knife in Saturday night's MCG derby.
It will be their first competitive meeting since last season's BBL final and mark 321 days since the Renegades' last win.
An expanded top-five finals system this season means their hopes of defending the title are still flickering.
However it would require an unprecedented turnaround, with at least six wins from nine remaining home-and-away matches to qualify for the finals.
"In T20 you can get on a roll and get it done," captain Aaron Finch said.
"It's going to be tough though, no doubt. It would've been nice to be 3-2 or 4-1 but it's not the case.
"We can't change that, so you just have to look to ways you can keep improving and not let your mind dwell too much on what's happened in the past.
"T20 is a game where as soon as you doubt yourself you're in trouble."
It has been a tough initiation for first-year coach Klinger, the former Perth Scorchers batsman and third-highest BBL run scorer of all-time, who took the reins from title-winner Andrew McDonald.
"We'd love to get a win for Maxy," Finch said.
"He's preparing the players and everyone as well as he possibly can but it's just not happening out in the middle at the moment."
*A-League references relate to championships (grand final wins), not premierships (top of the ladder after home and away rounds).
