'Like a training run': Dragons booed by own fans in 'embarrassing' loss as Kalyn Ponga makes undeniable Origin case

St George Illawarra had a fortnight to move past an Anzac Day hammering, but that wasn't enough as they were left "embarrassed" in a 44-10 loss against the Knights.

After conceding 62 points before the bye, Dean Young's men entered Saturday's clash looking to get their season back on track and restore some pride.

But before the half-time siren even sounded, the result was beyond doubt as the WIN Stadium faithful booed the Dragons back into the sheds with Newcastle taking a 32-0 half-time lead, with Kalyn Ponga and Bradman Best pushing their Origin selection cases.

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Greg Marzhew crossed for a first-half double, with the second coming in the simplest of fashion as the winger burrowed over from dummy-half, catching the Dragons napping.

"He embarrassed the Dragons on their on line," Andrew Voss said on Fox League.

Roosters great Luke Keary described the defensive lapse as "soft" as replays showed both Kade Reed and Clint Gutherson clutching at straws.

Best then scored a runaway try after taking an intercept inside his own half, before Ponga brushed off Gutherson and Reed to set up back-rower Dylan Lucas.

"It's like a training run," Keary said on commentary.

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Dom Young scored made it six tries for the opening half when he completed a first-half double, before the home fans let their feelings known as the players ran off.

Ponga had three linebreak assists and a clean break of his own before the half was over, with the Knights skipper pushing for a spot in Billy Slater's Queensland team.

The 27-year-old faces stiff competition from Broncos superstar Reece Walsh to play in his preferred fullback role, but did his chances no harm with a scintillating display and ended up with two try assists and six linebreak assists for Newcastle.

Hamish Stewart gave the Dragons fans something to cheer about early in the second half when he raced through to plant down a grubber kick from Lyhkan King-Togia.

"They need to show their fans they are fighting and there's a little bit of hope there," Keary said after Stewart put the hosts on the board.

King-Togia was a late inclusion in the five-eighth role with Daniel Atkinson out injured.

The joy was short-lived for the Saints however, with Marzhew crossing for another three tries to finish with five for the match as Newcastle flexed their attacking muscle.

"I'm just as shocked as you guys ... it's the people inside me who really got it done for me," a jovial Marzhew told Fox post-game.

With nine losses in a row to start the season and 13 on the bounce including last year, things are at rock-bottom right now for the Dragons.

Interim coach Young, who is fighting for his own future at the club, sympathised with the fans after watching things continue to unravel in 2026.

"It got pretty ugly in the first half and it was hard to sit through, but I asked for a response from the players at half time … I'm happy with the response," he said.

"I feel for our fans, to sit through another scoreline like that.

"I said the other day, times are tough at the moment in the world and people are working hard to spend their hard-earned money to come watch us play and they're not getting the results and some of the results have been quite ugly." 

Young also defended the decision to play both King-Togia and Reed together in the halves, putting the onus on the senior players around them to perform.

"It's a big ask and I'm putting them in that position," he said.

"The theory behind that is I feel like they could potentially unlock the people around them and that's what we need to happen. We need the more experienced players playing well and help us get out of this situation, it's not gonna be Reedy and Lyhkan - but I thought they could give the people around them some confidence.

"That [result] is not their fault."