With the exceptional Greg Inglis at the back, halves Adam Reynolds and Luke Keary linking well and hooker Issac Luke completing a dynamic core, the reigning premiers stepped up their march to the finals with a 10-tries-to-one win.

"To be able to play like that, and the combinations that the boys are gaining momentum with, is what we're looking for," Maguire said.

"The game's built a lot around pressure and I thought Adam and Luke, the way they're combining together as halves - and obviously to have Issac come back in [from suspension] and play well the way he did - and Greg can play off the back of those boys... And the forwards are laying a really good platform for them. I think our completions were up above 90 per cent. That allows you to play the game that we did tonight.

"We've gone through a period throughout the season with, I guess, the spine being a little disjointed at times, Greg goes into Origin… But we've been able to now really look at our game and focus on the things that we hold high in what we do."

Inglis indicated he welcomed the stability Souths seem to have now as they set sail for the run home.

"It's having the key players in the key positions working well together," said Inglis, one of two players with Dylan Walker to score a hat-trick.

"I said last week our halves worked well together to close out the game and they turned up again and put on a real good display."

The win puts keeps the Rabbitohs in fourth spot behind the Broncos, Cowboys and Roosters, who are among their remaining opponents before the finals. Maguire said the aim for his side was to build consistency in the final six rounds.

"The Broncos have definitely shown they're, along with North Queensland, leading the way in how they've built that consistency in their game. We've got to do the same thing," he said.

Newcastle have very different challenges. A deeply disappointed coach Rick Stone apologised to the club's fans for a display he said "was not up to NRL standard".

"We've got six rounds to go and we've got to play players who are willing to fight," Stone said.

"That's the only thing I'm looking for, players who are going to stand up, have some pride in the jumper and fight their butt off for 80 minutes. If you can't give me that I don't want you to play."

Kurt Gidley said the performance was as bad as it's got for the Knights this year.

"There was a group of fans in the corner, we gave them a bit of a wave as we came out, thanked them for their support. To be honest it was hard to look over at [them at] the end of the game … As a supporter, [I'd be] thinking 'What's happened? What have they dished up today?' It was embarrassing."