Already without Daniel Saifiti, Jayden Brailey, Hymel Hunt, Sauaso Sue and Brodie Jones, the Knights lost skipper Kalyn Ponga before Saturday's captain's run with a knee injury.

There was a further disruption for Newcastle an hour before kick-off when enforcer David Klemmer was ruled out, also with a knee problem.

That left the Knights with Tex Hoy deputising as fullback and a makeshift engine-room rotation, in which Mitch Barnett and Jacob Saifiti started up front, and novices Jirah Momoisea, Leo Thompson and Mat Croker were named on the bench.

Newcastle suffered another body blow when back-rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon limped off with a knee injury late in the first half.

Despite the adversity, the Knights produced an inspirational performance, stunning the Tigers, who had won four of their previous five games on Newcastle's home turf, with a devastating early blitz.

Newcastle led 12-0 after only nine minutes, courtesy of tries by five-eighth Jake Clifford and stand-in skipper Tyson Frizell, created by clever kicks.

With the wind at their backs and a 23,214-strong crowd providing parochial support, the Knights pounded the Tigers into submission in the first half.

After the sin-binning of Tyrone Peachey and a Clifford penalty goal, Newcastle extended their lead to 14-0 by half-time and could easily have been further ahead.

The one-way traffic continued after the break, when centre Bradman Best crashed over in the 47^th minute to make it 18-0.

Tries by winger Dominic Young and centre Dane Gagai capped off one of Newcastle's most emphatic victories in recent seasons.

Sunday's triumph followed Newcastle's 20-6 boilover against Sydney Roosters in the season-opener and sets the scene perfectly for their clash with reigning premiers Penrith in Bathurst on Saturday.