A classy performance by the Wentworthville Magpies has seen them cruise past the Newcastle Knights 40-8 at Hunter Stadium.
Honeti Tuha was simply outstanding for the Magpies, earning the Intrust Super Premiership man of the match award, and Dylan Izzard had a perfect day with the boot, kicking eight from eight.
The Knights’ only victory of the season was against the Magpies back in Round 4, but history was not to repeat itself despite a strong start from the home side.
Both sides knocked on in their respective opening sets, but it was the Magpies who posted first points.
The set was started thanks to a great run out of the in-goal by Honeti Tuha, before Dylan Izzard put a up a shaky bomb on last tackle that was caught by Jake Butler-Fleming, who brilliantly flicked the ball for an unmarked Scott Schulte to score.
A wonderful back-line movement by the Knights locked the scored back up when Bryce Donovan did an excellent job to get the ball to mid-season recruit Tom Hughes, who had work to do but he evaded two defenders to get over the line.
The Knights took the lead when Will Pearsall put a cross-field bomb up for Tom Hughes, and it deflected backwards of his hands into the lap of Ken Tofilau, who then turned it into a rampaging Pauli Pauli to score in the corner.
A Wentworthville try meant the lead was once again changed when the ball was spread left to James Gammidge, who made a linebreak and passed inside for a supporting Tuha to run away and score.
Tuha then extended the Magpies’ lead to 18-8 with his second try when the ball was switched inside and he calmly ran through a gaping hole in the Knights’ defence, and that was the final scoring play of the opening half.
The Magpies began the second half relentlessly attacking the Knights’ line, however their next try came against the run of play. Pearsall attempted to put in a long-range kick, but it was charged down and re-gathered by Nick Kassis, who ran away and scored.
Off the kick-off set, Luke Yates was knocked out cold in a tackle, and was stretchered off the field after a significant delay, before an offside penalty added an extra two-points to the Magpies’ total.
Cameron King took the lead out to 30-8 when he darted out of dummy half, sold a ball to his left, and strolled over under the posts.
The Knights conceded another penalty goal, before Tuha pounced on a grubber to score his third try of the afternoon, which capped off a fantastic day.
