Roosters account for below-par Knights

v BYE

The Sydney Roosters have welcomed back Mitchell Pearce and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves with a comfortable, clinical 38-0 win over the reigning wooden spooners Newcastle at Allianz Stadium tonight.

It was a relatively slow start for the hosts, remaining scoreless until the 17th minute until Blake Ferguson scored the first of his three tries of the night to open the scoring. With Jackson Hastings converting the try then adding a penalty goal ten minutes later, the Roosters began to wrestle control of the game.

Moments after the two-pointer, Pearce marked his return to the NRL with a try of his own, backing up in support on a Roosters' line break to claim the four points. The subsequent Hastings conversion took the home side to 14-0 leaders, a margin they maintained til halftime.

The Knights fought bravely over the first fifteen minutes of the second half - but simply weren't a match for the well-credentialed Roosters side. Isaac Liu opened the scoring in the second stanza after 55 minutes and it effectively opened the floodgates - Blake Ferguson adding two more tries as the match wound down, before Mitchell Aubusson bagged one of his own in the shadows of fulltime.

Bad news isn't limited to the scoreline or their ladder position - Korbin Sims was reported for an alleged shoulder charge on Joe Burgess in the 25th minute and could miss the Knights' home game against Cronulla in a fortnight's time. The Roosters get a 16 day rest before a trip to Robina, where they face the Titans on Monday night, May 16.