Kalyn Ponga perfection sparks ugly drubbing as Bulldogs fans revolt

Bulldogs fans have booed and hit out at their club after losing to the Knights 66-0 after a Kalyn Ponga (pictured right) masterclass. (Images: @telegraph_sport/Getty Images)

Bulldogs - Figure 1
Photo Yahoo Sport Australia

The NRL world has been left absolutely flabbergasted after the Bulldogs became the second team to get hammered this weekend after losing to the Knights 66-0 amid a Kalyn Ponga masterclass. The Bulldogs went into the clash at home hoping a win could see them get back on track and move one point beind the Knights on the ladder.

However, much like the scenes that saw the Cowboys smash the Tigers 74-0 in an extraordinary drubbing, the Bulldogs made unforced error after unforced error as Bradman Best put on a hat-trick to see the club reach a new low.

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Fans streamed out of the stadium at half-time with many home supporters booing to show their disappointment. Fans even started jeering every touch made by a Bulldogs player.

Bulldogs - Figure 2
Photo Yahoo Sport Australia

The scenes turned ugly on the sidelines for the Bulldogs with a fan reportedly yelling towards the coach's box: "This is f**king disgusting" amid the demolition. Commentator Warren Smith said he hasn't seen a fan base boo their team with nearly 40 minutes to go in the game for quite some time.

"You heard the boos ringing out," Smith said in shock at how early the backlash started. Steve 'Blocker' Roach labelled the Bulldogs' handling errors as 'atrocious', which saw them struggle to complete a single set in the second half.

With 13 minutes to go in the game, the Bulldogs had only run for 685 metres. Bulldogs missed 54 tackles throughout the game. The Knights had more than doubled their effort with a whopping 1,404 metres. Remarkably, the Knights finished only eight points behind equalling the Cowboys' record win on Saturday evening.

The win marks the biggest win for the Knights since defeating the Rabbitohs 60-0 in 1999. The scoreline also marked the first time since 2004 there had been three 50+ points game in a round of NRL.

Bulldogs - Figure 3
Photo Yahoo Sport Australia

Ponga finished 11 from 11 with the boot, alongside three linebreaks, three linebreak assists and three try assists. Best ran for a whopping 195 metres with two linebreak assists and three tries.

Bulldogs fans took to social media to blast their team with their season hitting a new low. Fans were critical of the players and felt there was little pride shown in the jersey. Coach Adam Ciraldo will also come under fire for the team's lack of direction. Footage showed some fans booing the team.

Cowboys smash Tigers in record mauling

The Knights fell short of trumping North Queensland's revenge match with the Cowboys securing Australian rugby league's biggest winning margin in 88 years in a record-breaking 74-0 thrashing of the Wests Tigers in front of a sell-out crowd in Townsville.

Bradman Best (pictured left) scored a hat-trick at Accor Stadium against the Bulldogs. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)

Six weeks after the Tigers humbled the Cowboys 66-18 in Sydney, the hosts registered the largest score reversal between two teams via 13 unanswered tries while establishing a record margin for the NRL era.

The margin eclipses Parramatta's 74-4 defeat of Cronulla in 2003 and is the biggest score to nil triumph in premiership history.

with AAP

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