South Sydney Rabbitohs humiliate Newcastle Knights in NRL with huge win

RABBITOHS 48 KNIGHTS 6

• As it happened: Rabbitohs v Knights

In what is becoming a new hoodoo for Newcastle, the Rabbitohs continued their recent dominance over a lacklustre Newcastle by extending their winning streak to five years over the club.

Souths fell short of scoring 50 points over their opponents like their last two meetings but the lopsided result sent out a warning to the rest of the league.

Beaten: Jarrod Mullen looks dejected after a Rabbitohs try. Photo: Mark Kolbe

It wasn't just the nine tries, but the ruthless, machine-like performance from a side displaying a rare level of discipline for these early stages of the season. If there were any concerns the long-term injuries to Adam Reynolds and John Sutton would land a blow to Souths' credentials they were washed away quickly. Luke Keary and Cody Walker steered the side comfortably and their forwards were met with little resistance. By late in the first half, Souths dominated possession with a 71 per-cent share. 

It was as robust as it was routine with Souths scoring five tries from simple sweeping pass moves. Winger Aaron Gray was the star, bagging a hat-trick as just reward for impressive work in defence. Bryson Goodwin and Greg Inglis led a youthful backline while the less said about the Knights, the better. 

It took less than three minutes for the Rabbitohs to strike when Goodwin crossed for an early try.

Super Rabbitoh: Aaron Gray plunges over in the corner during the round two NRL match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Newcastle Knights at ANZ Stadium. Photo: Mark Kolbe

The Knights were still reeling form the after-effects of that early blow when the veteran centre became the provider as the Rabbitohs cut through Newcastle's defence like a hot knife through butter. A slick passing move gave Gray ample time to score in the corner without barely being touched. 

The same combination led to another four-pointer as the Knights' weak spot became glaringly obvious. An end to end move tested the width of Newcastle's defence which failed to cope with the Rabbitohs sweeping play. After drawing in a marker, Goodwin again gave Gray a simple finish. 

For all their expansive play as a team, it was the individual brilliance of Sam Burgess that gave Souths their fourth. A manouevre from his rugby days - a flick pass mid tackle - broke Newcastle's line leading to Keary racing away for the line. 

Sliding in: Souths playmaker Luke Keary is in the sights of the Dragons. Photo: Getty Images

The half still had four minutes to play by the time Gray sealed his treble. The Knights right flank defence was exposed for the fourth time in one half in such simple fashion with Walker's cut-out pass giving Gray a saloon passage. 

Not even the verbal lashing from Newcastle coach Nathan Brown could do so much to halt the onslaught from South Sydney or plug the horrendous edge defence. When it wasn't their right flank that failed, their left did and winger Alex Johnston snared a simple try minutes after the restart. 

His first may have been easy but his second was nothing short of class. A solo run broke the attempted tackles of three Knights defenders in brilliant fashion en-route to the line.

Goodwin scored his second from sloppy defending before converting from the sideline to make it 42-0 and Hymel Hunt's superb catch from a high ball put the Rabbitohs in touching distance of half a century before Nathan Ross scored a consolation for Newcastle. 

That was to be the only sore point in the Rabbitohs commanding win that continued their perfect start. 

For the Knights, they've now conceded 78 points in their opening to games as their long odds of making the finals already ballooned wider after round two.