Slick Sea Eagles heap more pain on struggling Knights

Newcastle's post-Origin nightmare has reached a new low with Manly inflicting a fifth straight defeat on Brookvale soil that now doubles as a red-and-blue burial ground.

The Knights have won just three games on Sydney's northern beaches in their 30-year history and Saturday's dismal 30-6 loss to the Sea Eagles has their 2019 campaign circling the drain.

Manly's six tries-to-one victory in turn was their sixth in seven games and shot them to equal fourth on the ladder with the Roosters, all but assuring them of a return to finals football after narrowly avoiding last year's wooden spoon.

In the same week that star recruit Jesse Ramien was told he was free to leave, Newcastle's own finals hopes surely went the same way, their losing streak ingrained despite Manly appearing a little worse for wear from a 90-minute thriller against Melbourne last round.

No play summed up the Knights' malaise more than a 66th minute foray that proved their last roll of the dice, Connor Watson slicing through Manly's middle while down 20-6.

But his pass to Kalyn Ponga in support came too early. Mitchell Pearce's kick on the following play too deep.

And a rare attacking opportunity was suddenly a Sea Eagles' seven-tackle set.

Making no mistake with the simplest of left-edge shifts, Manly had Newcastle treading water, Jorge Taufua helping himself to a match-sealing four-pointer.

All afternoon the Knights found themselves all at sea on the edges.

None more so than when Kurt Mann rushed in late with the result already assured, the makeshift winger attempting to shut down a Daly Cherry-Evans cut-out ball for Reuben Garrick.

Mann tripped, slipped and had injury added to insult as Garrick scored untouched, the Newcastle utility forced from the field a short time later.