The Newcastle Knights have thrashed the St George-Illawarra Dragons 42-18 in a one-sided affair that could have given them a major boost heading into the finals.
The Knights got off to a perfect start through returning playmaker Kalyn Ponga who scored just minutes into the game. From there it all went Newcastle’s way as they raced to a 30-6 lead at half-time with Gehamat Shibasaki, Aidan Guerra, and Daniel Saifiti added to the try-scorers list.
“The first half was pretty ordinary [from the Dragons],” former NRL star Paul Gallen told Nine.
“Some of those tries in the first half were soft at best.”
The win was described as a “huge result” for the Knights with finals ramifications on the line.
“I think they’ll finish in sixth spot. They’ll get a home semi-final, which is a huge thing for the town considering what they’ve been through the last few seasons.”
After Newcastle’s rapid-fire try-scoring first 25 minutes, the Dragons’ error-prone play and defensive lapses were severely exposed.
“Their kicking game is poor and their discipline is poor,” Andrew Johns noted of the Dragons in Nine’s commentary.
Johns also described the Dragons’ defensive efforts as “soft” after Saifiti’s try.
“Look at the big man, he just reaches out,” Johns said.
“That was, dare I say, quite soft, defensively.
“Three players in, they don’t wrap the ball up they don’t get the big man to ground.
“He’s world-class [Saifiti].”
Saifiti’s brother Jacob also crossed the try-line in the second half, with teammate Enari Tuala earning his double to keep the Knights rolling.
The Dragons’ Zac Lomax was a rare highlight for the Red V, scoring just before the half and again before the fulltime siren.
Youngster Cody Ramsey was also a bright spark for St George-Illawarra. Fresh off his NRL debut last week, Ramsey showed off his blistering speed on the wing to put Corey Norman through to score on Sunday.
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