Manly are within touching distance of their first top-four finish in five years after piling more pain on Newcastle’s season with a 30-6 NRL win at Lottoland.

Still flying high off the back of last week’s golden-point epic over Melbourne, Manly powered home with four second-half tries over the hapless Knights.

The win keeps Manly in fifth but takes them to 26 points – all but assuring them of a return to the finals and within a win of third and fourth on the ladder.

The Sea Eagles haven’t made the all-important top four since 2014, with a sole finals appearance in 2017 their only showing from four challenging seasons.

But with Des Hasler back at the helm, they are now firming as a serious top-four chance.

“It’s pretty important you get a second chance and bite at the cherry,” Hasler said.

“At the moment the only way we can think about the top four is to keep winning these sorts of games.

“After last week to turn up and perform like this, it was an important two points.

“Probably one of the better two points we have played for this year.”

Hasler’s influence at Manly was again clear.

At this point last year the club were in turmoil, attempting to battle off their first wooden spoon after Trent Barrett had tendered his resignation.

But in the space of just nine months Hasler has made a mark on almost every player.

Daly Cherry-Evans continues to be in career-best form with two more try assists, while he is getting the best out of back-rowers Joel Thompson and Curtis Sironen, who both crossed for one each.

Previous unknowns like Reuben Garrick are starring, with the winger taking his try-scoring tally for the year to 13 with another double on Saturday.

Garrick’s first four-pointer was particularly impressive, as he took a bouncing Cherry-Evans kick and forced the ball within inches of the sideline to set up an 8-6 halftime lead.

And while Hasler has made Manly more disciplined, he is still allowing for free-flowing football through the middle.

Prop Martin Taupau was the beneficiary, crossing off the back of Manase Fainu, Cherry-Evans and Dylan Walker all combining through the centre third.

But when asked if he deserved to be Dally M coach of the year, typically Hasler would accept none of the praise.

“There’s half a dozen better coaches than me,” he said.

“The minor premiership comes into contention doesn’t it? With what Melbourne has done … Ricky Stuart has done an outstanding job down there at Canberra.

“I haven’t done anything. The players have done it all.”

Manly’s next three games will be crucial to their top-four charge.

They have the Warriors and Wests Tigers before their crunch round-23 clash with Canberra.

In comparison the Raiders – one win ahead – have the Sydney Roosters and Melbourne in that stretch.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are now struggling to even qualify for the finals, just months after sitting fourth at the halfway point of the year.

They had the better of the territorial battle for the majority of Saturday but had just one Kalyn Ponga try to show for their efforts as they remain two points out of the top eight.