Newcastle Knights have sacked coach Rick Stone after a drastic downturn in form.
Stone’s fate was sealed after the Knights were thrashed 52-6 by South Sydney Rabbitohs, with Greg Inglis scoring a hat-trick.
It was the final straw for Stone, who has managed just one win in eight matches and seen Newcastle move down to 14th in the NRL.
The Newcastle board met on Monday and decided Stone’s position as head coach was untenable.
Former Leeds Rhinos hooker Danny Buderus will be the interim coach until the end of the season.
In an official club statement, CEO Matt Gidley said “We thank Rick for his efforts and loyalty over a long period of time and while these decisions are never easy, it was made in the best interests of the Club.”
