Propelled by a brilliant first-half, the Newcastle Knights have defeated the Raiders 44-0 at Seiffert Oval tonight.
A number of the Raiders first-grade regulars were rested from the trial, with Dave Taylor also a late scratching due to a minor ankle injury.
The Raiders dominated proceedings early, and were unlucky not to get their first points when Eddie Aiono set sail and aimed for the right corner. A desperate tackle dislodged the ball and denied Aiono.
After absorbing the Raiders fast start, the Knights quickly turned the pressure on the Raiders, and a strong charge by Danny Levi earnt the away side first points.
The try set the tone for the rest of the half, with the Knights continuing at score at will on their way to building a 30-0 half-time lead.
Despite fielding none of the original starting 13, the Raiders started the second-half in much better fashion, going close to scoring on numerous occasions.
While the Raiders struggled to cross the stripe, the Knights continued to exploit the Raiders new defensive combinations, scoring a few more late tries.
The Raiders will now focus on the final couple of weeks of pre-season training before taking on the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville to start the NRL season.
Newcastle Knights (Levi, P Mata’utia, S Mata’utia, Mata’utia, Buhrer, Hodkinson, Elliot, Sio. Hodkinson 5/5, Lamb 1/3) 44 defeated Canberra Raiders 0.
