Knights last in NRL after Storm flogging

Melbourne piled more pain on hapless Newcastle, flogging the Knights 50-2 and condemning Adam O’Brien’s men to last spot on the NRL ladder.

On another sorry afternoon for Newcastle, halfback Jake Clifford was hooked after 53 minutes in the worst lost in O’Brien’s tenure as Knights coach.

While Clifford eventually returned through a HIA for Tex Hoy, there was never any sign of life for the hosts as they failed to break the Storm’s line even once.

Melbourne’s demolition job made them just the sixth team in history to score 120 points in two weeks, backing up for the 70-10 demolition of the Warriors on Anzac Day.

While the Warriors were able to rebound this week, there is no such light for the Knights after a sixth straight loss.

A week after O’Brien apologised for their poor loss to Parramatta, the Knights were arguably worse from the outset yesterday.

Already battling a hefty injury toll, Newcastle lost Sauaso Sue in the fourth minute to a concussion, while Hoy was also hurt late and Kalyn Ponga appeared to be carrying his right arm.

It dropped the Knights below Canterbury to sit bottom for the first time since their last wooden spoon in 2017.