Dogs bite back as Knights lose their armour - and Ponga

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Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs v Newcastle Knights

The Bulldogs have claimed win number 3 on the season with a dominant 36-12 victory over the Knights.

The 2024 Newcastle Knights season is on tenterhooks after just seven weeks, after suffering a fifth loss in 24-point beat down at the hands of the Bulldogs.

The Dogs started off well, picking up a penalty and forcing a dropout before Reed Mahoney set up a crash play to give Samuel Hughes the opening try. They thought they had a second 10 minutes later when Jaeman Salmon lost it over the line, but it wasn't too long before a slick backline movement put Jacob Kiraz over in the corner to stretch the lead to 12-0.

But when the Dogs weren't peppering the line, they were making errors, and eventually the Knights took advantage with Tyson Gamble putting Dylan Lucas into a hole to half the deficit. But after Greg Marzhew dropped the ball on the first tackle off the kickoff, the Bulldogs sniffed blood and Mahoney put his hands in the cookie jar and again pulled out chocolate chip, setting up Bronson Xerri for his first try in over four years and an 18-6 half time lead.

It didn't take long for the Dogs to make their mark in the second half, when Bailey Hodgson pounced on a Mahoney grubber for his first try in the NRL. After that they opened the game up, Josh Addo-Carr going over once and almost twice, however the second one was walked back after replays showed he dragged his foot across the sideline. But shortly after another shift by the Dogs saw some hot potato which eventually landed in the hands of Stephen Crichton, but instead of burning him it got him a four pointer to push the lead to 36-6. 

The match finished off with some heated moments, a few scuffles ultimately seeing Mahoney and Jack Hetherington being rewarded with early showers. Bradman Best also crossed late for Newcastle but it did little but flatter their efforts in a difficult loss.

It's a statement win for the Dogs, after coming so close in the last few weeks they've finally thrown the gauntlet down and shown the type of team they are. The bye comes at an almost imperfect time given the momentum being built but the team will be hoping to attack coming into a Round 9 clash with the Tigers.

For the Knights, their start to the season couldn't have been worse. Not only are they 2-5 and in 15th, Kalyn Ponga is potentially out for an extended period with a suspected ankle injury. Forget about going a step further than 2023, the Knights are on the verge of needing a miracle just to get back into the finals. The clock is ticking on Newcastle's season and a clash with the Dolphins can either be a chance to prove they're still here, or the proverbial final nail in the coffin.