When you think of some of the great clashes between the nib Newcastle Knights and the Canberra Raiders, the definite standout that comes to mind is when a Club record was set.
It was in the second round of the 2006 season when it was a pretty good day at the office for the red and blues. The side absolutely annihilated their ACT opponents 70-32 at Canberra Stadium and showed no mercy as they piled on the points.
The 70-point haul in just 80 minutes of football hit the record books for the Knights as their highest ever score, while the total number of 102 points in that game continues to be an all-time rugby league record for the most points scored in a match.
The closest to that was when St George defeated the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 91-6 in 1935.
The big contributor that day was captain Andrew Johns who recorded two tries and nailed an impressive 11 goals. He was also instrumental in five other tries to punish the home side.
Kurt Gidley who played fullback, also scored two tries in the game.
“We had plenty of tough trips to Canberra over the years but to put 70 points on them, on a sunny day, was pretty memorable,” Gidley recalled.
“I had plenty of memories of playing with those guys, especially that day, and I still keep in contact with most of them today.”
So, if the Knights needed any inspiration for their clash with the Raiders this Sunday, they don’t have to look very far, although for Canberra it would surely be one clash they would rather forget.
“The boys can definitely take inspiration out of that historic game and hopefully take it into Sunday’s match to come out with a good result,” said Gidley.
