A six-try second-half performance has confirmed Brisbane’s place in the NRL finals, following their thumping 46-12 win over Newcastle.

Distancing themselves from the logjam of teams in the middle of the competition ladder with Sunday’s victory at McDonald Jones Stadium, the Broncos are now in the shop window for a potential top-four berth heading into the final fortnight of the regular season.

A rocks and diamonds performance from Reece Walsh helped Brisbane kick away late.

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With the game in the balance at 20-12 into the final 20 minutes, a likely try to Newcastle five-eighth Jake Arthur was butchered and proved the impetus for a flood of Broncos points.

Payne Haas had the balling rolling soon after, before a 70-metre solo effort from Walsh put the game beyond doubt.

Walsh had earlier ensured 100-gamer Kobe Hetherington was the centre of attention in his milestone appearance by donating a try to the forward.

The fullback put back-rower Jaiyden Hunt in the clear before finishing the play back inside, passing the ball to Hetherington after going underneath the sticks.

“I’m not a fan of that ... throwing the ball back in the in-goal,” former Broncos coach Kevin Walters said in commentary on Fox Sports.

“I don’t agree with it. What if (Hetherington) dropped it ... (Walsh) is even more in the headlines then.”

Walsh admitted after the game his current Brisbane coach Michael Maguire wasn’t necessarily a fan of the risky pass either.

“Kobe was into me a few weeks ago that he hadn’t got many tries,” Walsh said afterwards.

“But I don’t think Madge was too happy with me when I did that. I will leave that one and won’t talk about it again.”

Maguire acknowledged Walsh was “looking after his teammates”.

“Reece makes up a part of the team that builds up the success that we have, and I’d rather talk about how the team is performing,” Maguire said.

“We’re really focused on building who we are. I’ve seen a shift in how the players have gone about what they’re doing and it’s a credit to them for stepping up to a level that I believe we need to get to.

“It was a bit clunky at times, but it was pleasing to get through the end of the game with the opportunities they did.”

On a day that their opposition typically fear playing in, Newcastle’s Old Boys’ Day proved to be forgettable for the Knights with tries to Gehamat Shibasaki, Jordan Riki and a second for Deine Mariner coming in the final 10 minutes.

Newcastle’s seventh straight loss — and their 10th defeat in their last 11 home games — has ensured they remain in the battle to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon.

In his 350th NRL game, where he joined Canterbury Bulldogs legend Terry Lamb and long-time Queensland Origin teammate Daly Cherry-Evans as the fourth-most capped player in Australian rugby league history, veteran playmaker Ben Hunt orchestrated an early flurry for Brisbane.

Three minutes was all it took for Brisbane to score, with Hunt providing a timely offload for his centre Kotoni Staggs to crash over.

Brisbane doubled down five minutes later when Josiah Karapani iced a long range shift out wide that started from the hands of the milestone man Hunt yet again.

Leo Thompson provided Newcastle some solace into the break when he cleaned up a tidy Phoenix Crossland grubber to score his side’s first, but it would ultimately be in vain as the Broncos ran away with the game come the second half.

- with 7NEWS