His coach wouldn’t admit to feelings of emotion, but Knights enforcer Willie Mason says hearing his name chanted by 20,000 people during his last game at Hunter Stadium would be a lasting memory of his time at Newcastle.

The Knights farewelled coach Wayne Bennett, Mason, veterans Adam Cuthbertson and Timana Tahu and hooker Travis Waddell with a dominant 40-10 win over St George Illawarra Dragons on Sunday.

Mason was at his barnstorming best, running for more than 100 metres, breaking three tackles and throwing the last pass for two Newcastle tries.

The 34-year-old said hearing his name chanted and the cheer when he was farewelled at fulltime was reminiscent of his time at the Bulldogs in the early-2000s.

“It was the biggest cheer ever, I only played 60 games here, imagine if I played 200 I would have been carried off like a king,” Mason joked.

“It reminded me when I was probably back at the Bulldogs I suppose, when they used to cheer for me.

“That was about 10 years ago. It was a good feeling, you can’t really say it didn’t feel good. It was a very good memory.”

Mason said, like Bennett, he had readied himself mentally for the occasion.

“Obviously the decision was made about three weeks ago, so I’ve prepared myself for this,” he said.

“It’s probably new territory for me, because I usually just walk out mid-contract.

“It’s a bit different, doing the lap and all that kind of stuff.

“Like Wayne it’s not the end for me, I’m going to be playing next year so it’s just another chapter in the book.

“But it’s been a great three years here for me, it was obviously a little bit emotional but I’m pretty sure we’ll talk about it over the next couple of days.”

Mason said he was still unsure of where he would play next year, but was positive it would be with an NRL club.

“I’m not too worried about it at the moment,” he said.

“Obviously things didn’t end up the way I wanted here, but I believe things happen for a reason and I’ll continue next year until I can’t compete with all these young bulls rolling around on the field.

“Then I’ll retire, but if I keep dusting them up like I did today, I’ll just keep playing.”

Bennett paid tribute to Mason’s athleticism and professionalism.

“He is quiet a remarkable athlete, Willie,” Bennett said. “He is 34, he doesn’t miss training sessions, he is a wonderful athlete.

“(He has had) no major injuries, a lot of guys at his age if they are still going have some major injuries where they need a lot of time off before they can even play, so it’s quiet remarkable.”