‘Hopeless’: Club legend Andrew Johns crushes Knights

Newcastle’s favourite son Andrew Johns has hammered the Knights after another awful performance sent their season from bad to worse.

Andrew Johns was not happy. Photo: Getty Images

The Newcastle Knights have been thrashed by the Sydney Roosters 42-12 at home as fans try to work out what has gone wrong with the side.

The Knights made the past two finals series but are battling to see off the wooden spoon six matches out from the playoffs.

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Currently on 12 competition points, it would take some dramatic results below for Newcastle to finish last but it should never have been in the question.

After a promising start to the season where the Knights won its first two matches handily, the side has claimed just three more wins in the next 16 games and tallying easily the worst for and against in the competition.

The Knights’ for an against slumped to -224 with the second worst defence and third worst attack in the NRL this season.

The Knights started the match well, leaving 2-0 but Kalyn Ponga left the field suffering a head knock after a high tackle from Matt Lodge by in the eighth minute.

It was the turning point of the game as the Roosters took the game by the neck.

The Knights had a shocker. Photo by Matt King/Getty Images

Leading 16-2 at halftime, the Roosters opened up a 26-2 lead before taking advantage of Knights centre Dane Gagai being sin binned for alleged dissent.

“That’s the second time this set,” referee Peter Gough said to Knights players.

“He’s spraying me, swearing at me from well over there.

“I can’t tolerate that.”

Three more tries during the 10 minutes saw the Roosters eyeing off 50 but the Knights scored two consolation tries to make it more flattering than the match actually was.

However, it’s the first time in the Knights’ 34-year history the side has lost three consecutive games conceding 40 points or more.

The Knights have been beaten 40-28 by the Rabbitohs, 42-12 by the Sea Eagles and now 42-12 by the Roosters.

“You think of the dark days of five or six years ago and they could do something they didn’t even do in those days,” Fox League’s Dan Ginnane said. “My goodness.

“And right now, they have clearly the worst for and against in the competition. This is a team that was in the finals last year and the year before.

Michael Ennis said the issues were clear as the frustration was boiling over into arguments on field.

Knights coach Adam O’Brien said it’d been a “tough, s**tty season” but admitted he wasn’t going to make changes for changes sake as finals is out of the picture.

“Just handing jerseys to blokes who haven’t earned them, you cheapen the jersey but there’s no doubt there’s some guys in there that probably need to feel what it’s like to lose one,” O’Brien said.

The most scathing assessment came from club legend Andrew Johns.

Joey wasn’t happy. Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Speaking on Channel 9, Johns, who is also a coaching consultant for the team, was far from happy.

“The Roosters were in third gear really,” he said. “They turned it on for a while but were running without fear, just pulling through the defensive line.

“Tedesco looked like it was the big kid playing against the small kid. He was out of this world.

“But without Kalyn Ponga on the field for Newcastle, they lack punch, creativity, speed — it was just an ordinary performance. I could say worse things but it was just ordinary, hopeless.”

Tedesco ran 21 times for 304m in another incredible performance.

But fans were stunned about just how far the Knights had fallen.

WWOS’ Simon Brunsdon tweeted: “The @NRLKnights attack is laughable and it has been for years. Struggle to see where we have improved under O’Brien”.

Former sports reporter Ray Gatt posted: “Some damn awful teams in the NRL. Tigers, Titans, Knights. Salary cap doesn’t work. Maybe need a draft as well”.

Seven’s Luke McGarry wrote: “Many assumed it was between Tigers, Titans and Dogs for spoon, have Knights made it a 4 horse race?”

Author Peter FitzSimons praised the Knights early before Ponga went off, conceding: “the Knights simply not the same side, now that Ponga has gone off with concussion.”