Monday Buzz: Weekend highlights, lowlights

The world’s best rugby league player isn’t in the running to be named the best player in the world — and that must change. Plus highlights, lowlights from another big weekend in sport.

James Tedesco is not in the running to win the Golden Boot award. Picture: Getty Images

• Monday Buzz: NRL must rein in greedy player agents

• Dragons’ best young star officially hits NRL open market

Check out the highlights, lowlights and talking points from another big weekend in sport.

HIGHLIGHT

A Super Saturday for the golden girls of Australian sport, Sam Kerr and Ash Barty. Sam scored a double as the Matildas beat Chile and Ash triumphed 6-0 6-0 in a Federation Cup singles win over France.

Sam Kerr celebrates one of her goals for the Matildas. Picture: AAP

LOWLIGHT

The tragic death of 27-year-old boxer and father of three, Dwight Ritchie, during a spar with Michael Zerafa in Melbourne on Saturday.

LOWLIGHT II

The poor performances from Great Britain in recent rugby league internationals. You start to wonder if Wayne Bennett is still the right man to be in charge. Certainly, the Canberra Raiders players who were so outstanding under Ricky Stuart have not aimed up for Bennett.

Great Britain . Picture: Getty Images

SPOTTED

South Sydney Rabbitohs legend Mario Fenech at Jeff Fenech’s wife Susie’s 50th birthday party in Five Dock on Saturday night.

SPOTTED II

Almost every player from South Sydney’s 1989 side at Souths Juniors on Saturday at a tribute lunch for their coach George Piggins. It was the year they won the minor premiership.

Back row: Lindsay Johnson, Jim Sedaris, Manoa Thompson, Mark Ellison, Les Davidson, Daryl Neville, Steve Mavin. Middle row: Steve O’Dea, Graham Lyons, Ross Harrington, Mark Lyons, Michael Andrews, Paul Roberts, Bobby Ginman (trainer), Darren Shott. Front row: Bronco D’Jura, Wayne Chisholm, Mario Fenech, George Piggins (coach of the year), Craig Coleman, Darren Brown.

SHOOSH

The integrity unit will interview Josh Dugan this week about his recent drama in Queensland. He has a glowing reference from the owner of the nightclub where there was a fight and is likely to be cleared.

GREECE FRIGHTENING

Greece have qualified for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup for the first time. Coached by former NRL star Steve Georgallis, the Greeks thrashed Serbia 82-6 in Belgrade over the weekend. The very promising Cronulla Sharks forward Billy Magoulias was one of the stars.

GIVE POMMY JUDGES (GOLDEN) BOOT

James Tedesco missed the cut for the Golden Boot. Picture: Getty Images

The rugby league Golden Boot award is supposed to recognise the best player in the world.

Names like Wally Lewis, Greg Inglis, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston have won. More recently it has become an embarrassment.

The nominations this year are: John Bateman (Great Britain), Damien Cook (Australia), Payne Haas (Australia), Viliame Kikau (Fiji), Tui Lolohea (Tonga), Kevin Naiqama (Fiji), Sio Siua Taukeiaho (Tonga), Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (New Zealand), Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (New Zealand) and Brandon Wakeham (Fiji).

With respect to the above, clearly the best player in the world, James Tedesco, didn’t make the cut. Last year Tommy Makinson won the award. I had to Google him to find out he was an English winger.

The International Rugby League Board should take control of this once prestigious award.

Give the “golden boot” to the English news organisation that runs it and find some new judges to put credibility back into the award.

BOXING SAFETY IS ALL-IMPORTANT

Jeff Fenech spoke recently about the urgent need for boxing authorities to address safety issues in the most brutal sport of them all.

It is too early to determine the exact cause of the death of the much-admired and talented Dwight Ritchie on Saturday in a spar with Michael Zerafa. It is the most horrible tragedy.

A post-mortem will tell us more.

Maybe Fenech is right in that safety measures need more attention from medical experts.

“It’s a gladiatorial sport and you train to knock out an opponent,” he said. “It would be dramatic to change the rules but your health is your health and they need to look at it.”

Originally published as Monday Buzz: Weekend highlights, lowlights