The Newcastle Knights bowed out of the 2015 Auckland Nines in the second quarter-final of the competition, losing 30-6 to the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Sunday afternoon.
The Knights had the perfect start to the game, fullback Nathan Ross scooping up the ball from kick-off to break through the Rabbitohs line and pass on to Tyrone Roberts, who then fed Jake Mamo to make a trademark burst down the wing and score.
Jarrod Mullen added the extras to make the score 6-0 with barely a minute gone.
Chris McQueen got the Rabbitohs on the board scoring a 5-pointer. Skipper Isaac Luke added the extras to make the score 7-6.
Gagai quickly made amends for an earlier error with a fifty metre burst through the middle, but the Knights were unable to capitalise on the territorial advantage in the remainder of the set.
The Rabbitohs made them pay in the 7th minute, Matt King crossing over on the left side and Luke converting to give the Rabbitohs a 11-6 lead.
Seconds before half-time the Knights conceded a penalty in front of goal, the referee ruling Chris Houston offside.
Luke went for a kick, and the Rabbitohs took a 13-6 lead into the break.
The Rabbitohs maintained their high-pressure game in the early minutes of the second half and prop Ben Lowe was the beneficiary, touching down near the uprights to boost his side's lead.
Luke again converted, pushing the score to 19-6 with six minutes to play.
The Knights needed to be the next to score to stay in the game, but the Rabbitohs again beat them to the punch with a five-pointer to Sam Burgess. Joel Reddy rounded out the score on the buzzer, scoring in the right corner to give the Rabbitohs a 30-6 win.
The Rabbitohs advance to the semi final to take on the Eels, while the loss concluded the 2015 Nines for the Knights.
