Monday Buzz: Weekend highlights, lowlights

Dean Pay proves his worth, Knights star’s sportsmanship and new favourites emerge to win Dally M Medal — check out the talking points from another big weekend in sport.

• NRL Casualty Ward: More Fifita frustration

• Bulldogs in the hunt for three star signings

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

HIGHLIGHT

Nice sportsmanship from Newcastle Knights prop Dave Klemmer when he walked into the Parramatta Eels dressing sheds at Bankwest Stadium to shake hands and apologise to Manu Ma’u for elbowing him.

More Monday Buzz: Who deserves to be a millionaire?

HIGHLIGHT II

Who needs Izzy? The Wallabies were magnificent in their Bledisloe Cup victory over the All Blacks in Perth, scoring seven stunning tries.

Live stream the 2019 NRL Telstra Premiership on KAYO SPORTS. Every game of every round live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial.

It was all smiles for the Wallabies in Perth. Picture: AAP

LOWLIGHT

Mitch Moses taking 90 seconds to kick a penalty in the dying stages of the match against the Knights. Surely the clock should be stopped for time wasting in the last five minutes of games.

LOWLIGHT II

A complete over-reaction by the referees and bunker with the sin-binnings of Bulldogs forward Chris Smith and Wests Tigers forward Luke Garner for slightly late tackles they couldn’t pull out from.

Luke Garner was sin-binned in the Tigers’ loss to Canterbury. Picture: Getty Images

SPOTTED

Matty Johns interviewing old Liverpool legend Craig Johnston for his podcast on Fox Sports this week. “I honestly think Craig is the most incredible story in Australian sport,” Johns said. “I thought I knew everything about his rise to the top but this interview absolutely blew my mind.”

STAT’S INCREDIBLE

Missed tackle statistics don’t always decide footy games. The Penrith Panthers missed 46 tackles — twice as many as the Cronulla Sharks — but still caused a boilover on Friday.

PEDAL TO THE MEDAL

Cameron Smith is now a $3.50 favourite with the TAB to win the Dally M player-of-the-year award. He was paying $34 after round five. Roosters superstar James Tedesco has been backed from $15 to $5 and is now second favourite.

Cameron Smith is favoured to win the Dally M Medal. Picture: AAP

360 VIEW

Catch you tonight on NRL 360 on Fox Sports at 7.30pm with Ben Ikin, Paul Kent, Cooper Cronk and special guest, Newcastle Knights coach Nathan Brown.

PAY THE MAN SOME CREDIT

You have to hand it to Canterbury coach Dean Pay.

He has been criticised for much of the season yet in the past six weeks the Bulldogs have beaten the Sharks, Panthers, Knights and Tigers.

The Bulldogs are now equal on the ladder with St George Illawarra and the Cowboys, two teams that “on paper” have far superior rosters.

Pay has shown that he deserved the one-year contract extension he received ­earlier in the season.

Bulldogs coach Dean Pay has turned his side’s form around. Picture: Getty Images

TOUGH SPOT FOR AGENT BEAVIS

Veteran player agent Wayne Beavis has the toughest and most unenviable job in the NRL.

The game’s longest-serving manager looks after three unemployed coaches — Shane Flanagan, Anthony Griffin and Trent Barrett.

It’s a juggling act. If a job becomes available, for whom does he push?

Of the trio, Flanagan has by far the best record but still has to be cleared by the NRL after being banned indefinitely for working while he was suspended.

Trent Barrett is on the lookout for a new coaching job. Picture: AAP

The game is still waiting for him to show some remorse and own his mistakes. He could learn from Australia’s champion cricketer Steve Smith in that it helps to admit you have done the wrong thing.

There will possibly be coaching opportunities in the NRL early next year.

Nathan Brown at the Knights and Paul McGregor at the Dragons will have to get results in the first 10 rounds of 2020.

Cowboys coach Paul Green may also come under pressure after two disappointing years.