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0 Newcastle Knights legend Andrew Johns has let rip at his old club after a horror showing against the Bulldogs in front of a home crowd.
Off the back of a week off and on a four-game winning streak, the Knights basically didn’t show up to McDonald-Jones Stadium, conceding six tries and rarely threatening to score any of their own to lose 32-2.
To make matters worse for the home team, Jacob Saifiti will no doubt be in hot water with the MRC – sent to the sinbin in the last minute for headbutting Reed Mahoney.
AS IT HAPPENED: Newcastle Knights v Canterbury Bulldogs
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The Bulldogs had both Matt Burton and Stephen Crichton out on Origin duties, Viliame Kikau out with injury, and they lost Josh Addo-Carr early in the second half.
Dylan Lucas and Jack Cogger after the loss. Getty
They also had Connor Tracey and Toby Sexton sinbinned for professional fouls, but on both occasions scored tries while a player down.
The weather was awful in Newcastle, yet more than 21,000 fans showed up.
“Look at the weather, look at the people who have turned out, sitting in the rain, and they’re tossing this up?” Johns said in commentary for Nine.
“Hang your heads in shame.
“You can sit at home and watch it on TV live and free, and they turn up, and this is what they toss up to their fans?
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The Knights were comprehensively outplayed. Getty
“The Bulldogs, two players in the sin bin and the have not scored a try, the Knights. They have not looked like scoring.”
Although undefeated at home, it was the Bulldogs first on-the-road win of the season.
The Knights scored the first two points of the night with a penalty goal, but seldom thereafter threatened to add to it.
The Bulldogs stood up in defence to deny the Knights what looked to be almost certain tries on several occasions.
Johns said the poor showing from Jackson Hastings and Jack Cogger needs to be changed before they take on the Storm next week, and play English recruit Will Pryce.
“They have to pull the trigger next week … they have to make a decision because Cogger and also Hastings have had no speed in the way they have played,” Johns said.
“There is no strength or running threat, and all the movement and the passing has been sideways.
“They have to put Will Pryce in next week. There might be deficiencies in his game, but they have to do something.”
Coach Adam O’Brien said it was a “hard, hard night” and “difficult to swallow”, and that his side needed to learn to perform better after the bye.
“We needed the bye. Everyone gets one. We have to be better to overcome that,” he said.
“There are some guys there that clearly looked like they were distracted in their performances … that looked like a team that had had a week off.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a performance Iike that. That will take some getting over.”
But the win looks to have come at a cost again for the Bulldogs, with Addo-Carr coming from the field early in the first half with a hamstring injury. He’d scored a double in the opening 40.
Bulldogs winger Josh Addo-Carr scoring his second try of the night against Newcastle. NRL Images
Nine‘s sideline reporter Danika Mason said the injury happened right in front of her, and Addo-Carr immediately called out to the sideline: “I’ve done my hammy”.
She said he would go for scans on Saturday.
Daniel Saifiti is also under an injury cloud, with fears he may have suffered an MCL injury.
Both sides will get an extended break before their next clashes.
The Knights will play the Storm on Sunday week, before the Bulldogs take on the Eels the next day.
