A DEPLETED Canterbury have completed back-to-back wins against the Newcastle Knights with a 32-2 boilover at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night.
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Unbeaten in their previous four games, Newcastle crashed back to earth against a Canterbury team minus Origin stars Stephen Crichton and Matt Burton and injured back-rower Viliame Kikau.
The result enabled Canterbury to leapfrog Newcastle into the top eight.
Hoping to avenge a 36-12 loss to the Bulldogs at Homebush last month, the Knights started strongly, with plenty of energy, and dominated possession and field position in the early exchanges.
The pressure mounted on the visitors in the seventh minute when fullback Connor Tracey was sin-binned for a professional foul, after he impeded his opposite number David Armstrong as he chased a Jackson Hastings grubber kick.
Hastings kicked the ensuing penalty goal to open the scoring.
Five minutes later, Newcastle appeared to have increased their lead when winger Greg Marzhew caught a Hastings cross-field kick and crashed over in the corner.
But the bunker ruled no-try after video replays revealed Marzhew's foot had touched the sideline before he grounded the ball.
The match took a dramatic turn three minutes later when, against the run of play, NSW Origin discard Josh Addo-Carr chipped ahead, regathered and then raced away to score.
A second Addo-Carr try in the 28th minute increased Canterbury's lead to 10-2.
Newcastle, who were without injured trio Kalyn Ponga, Bradman Best and Tyson Gamble, came close to reducing the deficit in the last minute of the first half, only for back-rower Dylan Lucas to lose the ball in his desperate attempt to force it in-goal.
Adding to Newcastle's worries, bench prop Daniel Saifiti suffered a knee injury soon after taking the field and did not last much longer.
The Bulldogs had injury problems of their own, losing Addo-Carr to a hamstring strain early in the second half.
The visitors took that setback in their stride and back-rower Jacob Preston dived over to score in the 48th minute, leaving Newcastle 14-2 behind and playing catch-up football.
Canterbury were again reduced to 12 men in the 54th minute when halfback Toby Sexton was sin-binned for a professional foul.
After further tries by Josh Curran, Preston and centre Bronson Xerri, disappointed fans among the 21,204-strong crowd started streaming towards the exits.
The frustration boiled in the dying minutes when Knights prop Jacob Saifiti was sin-binned for a headbutt on Bulldogs hooker and notorious sledger Reed Mahoney.
