THE Newcastle Knights ended a frustrating run in emphatic fashion with a club-record 66-0 thrashing of an outclassed Canterbury at Accor Stadium on Sunday.
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The 11-try demolition eclipsed Newcastle's 60-0 win against South Sydney in 1999.
After three successive losses to Brisbane (24-20), Sydney Roosters (18-16) and Penrith (20-12), the Knights were in no mood for another slip-up against the Bulldogs, one of only three teams below them on the competition ladder before the game kicked off.
The slaughter lifted Newcastle one spot on the ladder - pending the result of Manly's clash with Sydney Roosters - and kept them within three wins of the top eight, with eight games to play.
After an underwhelming start, the Knights opened the scoring with a Jackson Hastings try in the 13th minute and the floodgates burst open.
By half-time Newcastle had run in five tries - all converted by skipper Kalyn Ponga, to lead 30-0, prompting Canterbury fans to boo their team off the field when the siren sounded.
Ponga had a hand in three of Newcastle's first-half tries, two of which were scored by centre Bradman Best.
The procession continued three minutes after the interval when utility Kurt Mann raced away to score.
Best, who was denied a try by the video referee early in the second half, finished with the first hat-trick of his NRL career.
Hastings and hooker Phoenix Crossland scored doubles.
Ponga, kicking for the first time this season, finished with 11 goals from as many attempts, equalling Andrew Johns' club record from a 70-32 shellacking of Canberra in 2006.
Canterbury's day was summed up when winger Jacob Kiraz was denied a try by desperate defence on the last play of the game.
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