Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin continued his fine run against the man who’ll replace him next season with a 48-6 NRL win over Newcastle on Saturday.

Griffin now has six wins from eight matches against Wayne Bennett after the 42-point win at a soggy Suncorp Stadium.

The Broncos’ second straight win at home, sealed by a second half hat-trick from Ben Barba, keeps them in the hunt for a finals berth with two games remaining.

The rampant home team ran in six tries, including Barba’s triple, in the final 23 minutes to record the thumping win over their past and future coach.

Makeshift fullback Justin Hodges, playing in the position for the first time since 2006, had a hand in almost everything for the Broncos.

The 32-year-old, playing at No.1 due to Josh Hoffman’s ankle injury, ended the match with three try assists and 110 metres from 15 runs.

The Knights, already without Kade Snowden and Jeremy Smith following their ASADA bans, suffered a blow pre-match when influential five-eighth Jarrod Mullen was ruled out with a corked calf.

Only Korbin Sims barging effort just after halftime brought the visiting fans to their feet, with the Broncos going on a rampage after that.

Apart from Barba, Jack Reed scored a double with Lachlan Maranta, Corey Oates, Matt Gillett and Daniel Vidot also crossing in the nine tries to one romp.