Anthony Griffin might be out of a job at the end of the season and his team still need a minor miracle to reach the NRL play-offs.
But the soon-to-be former Brisbane coach gained a measure of solace at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night with a 48-6 victory against the man who will replace him, Knights mentor Wayne Bennett.
Griffin received the dreaded tap on the shoulder recently when the Broncos announced Bennett would be rejoining them on a three-year deal starting in 2015.
But if Bennett is still regarded as an icon north of the border for the six premierships he helped the club win between 1988 and 2008, Griffin has at least enjoyed bragging rights in his head-to-head showdowns with the master tactician.
In eight clashes against St George Illawarra and Newcastle teams coached by Bennett over the past four seasons, Griffin has racked up six wins and a draw.
Bennett's only success was a 26-18 victory in the corresponding match last year.
In the two Newcastle-Brisbane games this season, the score reads Griffin 80, Bennett 12.
Hardly the one-upmanship type, it would seem fair to assume Griffin's priority on Saturday was collecting the two points rather than any personal duel with his opposite number.
The Broncos went into round 24 with nine teams above them on the ladder. Even if they won by a healthy margin, they were still going to be outside the top eight on points difference.
With games remaining against the Dragons (home) and Melbourne (away), they will probably need to win both to feature in the play-offs and hence provide Griffin with an opportunity to exit on a positive note.
But at least they are still in contention, which is more than can be said about Bennett's Knights, who have been virtually dead and buried since the halfway point in a disastrous season.
Even after six wins in their previous eight games – including upsets against top-eighth outfits the Roosters, Melbourne and Warriors – Newcastle have been consigned to the role of spoilers.
Their hopes were not helped on Saturday by a host of absentees.
Their all-star back three of Darius Boyd (personal reasons), Akuila Uate (knee) and James McManus (foot) have been unavailable for several weeks.
Seasoned forwards Kade Snowden and Jeremy Smith were ordered to stand down on Friday when they accepted an ASADA-imposed ban for taking banned substances at Cronulla in 2011.
And despite flying to Brisbane with his teammates, primary playmaker Jarrod Mullen was ruled out on Saturday morning when he was unable to shrug off a corked thigh.
In the circumstances, the visitors were unlucky to find themselves 14-0 down after a first half punctuated by a host of errors from both teams.
In slippery conditions after persistent rain, Brisbane opened the scoring in the 20th minute when they spun the ball to the left edge and winger Daniel Vidot, appearing in his 100th NRL game, dived in for his sixth try of the season.
There was a crucial turning point in the 34th minute when the Knights came within an inch of scoring, after Tyrone Roberts grounded a Michael Dobson grubber kick on the in-goal line, and from the ensuing set Matt Gillett crashed over for Brisbane after a Justin Hodges off-load.
A Jack Reed try, created by an Alex Glenn grubber, in the final minute of the first half ensured the Broncos headed to the intermission with a healthy advantage.
The Knights showed they were in no mood to surrender with a Korbin Sims try from a quick tap two minutes after the resumption, reducing the deficit to 14-6.
Reed claimed a try after sliding over, despite the attention of four defenders, in the 51st minute, but his celebrations were cut short by the video referee.
The Broncos put themselves 14 points clear in the 57th minute when fullback Lachlan Maranta scored in the corner and skipper Corey Parker converted from the sideline.
Five-eighth Ben Barba scored a hat-trick for the home side between the 60th and 71st minutes – a timely reminder to Bennett that he is worthy of retention.
Late tries by bench forward Corey Oates and Reed made the score line even uglier for Newcastle.
