
Has Kalyn Ponga played his last game for the Knights?
Almost eight years after the teenage superstar joined Newcastle, Ponga's career appears at a crossroads.
Speculation about his future is growing after the latest reports linking him with a New Zealand-based rugby union agent.
It comes amid suggestions Knights coach Adam O'Brien could be moved on at season's end.
Is Ponga exploring his options, or is it just further conjecture about his place in the game?
Right through Ponga's Knights career, it feels like there has been speculation linking him to rugby union. In recent years, it has been the whispers about him going to the Sydney Roosters.
Ponga's father, Andre, openly admitted last month he had fielded renewed approaches from the 15-man game.
"The interest is from overseas rugby, but it's not a conversation we are worrying about right now," Andre told News Limited. "He doesn't want to be rushed into a decision two years out.
"I know he wants a premiership for the Knights. The results don't show it but he is always optimistic.
"I guess it's a matter of the future. Kalyn is halfway through his tenure now and the Knights have some really talented kids coming through. It's probably one to ask in another 12 months' time, realistically."
How do comments like these help the Knights?
Is it borderline disrespectful to the club and its fans given Ponga has more than two full years remaining at the club?
Let's not forget Ponga is Newcastle's captain.
As the highest-paid player in the game, and one of its most marketable, Ponga is always going to attract plenty of media attention.
But how founded is the regular speculation about his future?
Maybe it's simply because he is such a big fish.
Or maybe it's because it was such a surprise Newcastle landed him in the first place (amid three wooden spoons), and given how talented he is, many are surprised he has stayed as long as he has.
Part of the problem is that Ponga and the Knights rarely come out and shut such talk down.
Asked at a post-match press conference in round two if he was unsettled at the club after reports suggesting as much that week, Ponga responded: "How did I play? How did I look out there? I look happy don't I?"
Asked afterwards if the speculation bothers him, he said: "It's all part of the game, I understand it. I'm used to it. It's been a big part of my career for so long. But again, it's not something that I worry about."
Newcastle have won six of 17 games this season, and are bound to miss the finals. As skipper, Ponga should be unhappy about that.
But in his eighth season at Newcastle and with the club having never gone further than week two of the play-offs, he could be forgiven for pondering his future.
At 27, if he is now more towards the end of his career than the start. And Newcastle appear no closer to a premiership than when he arrived in 2018.
"He's at an age where if he is going to pounce on rugby union, and he wants to play All Blacks, harsh to say for rugby league, but it's probably not far around the corner," Mitchell Pearce, who was halfback in Ponga's first four seasons at the Knights, said last month.
Ponga has produced some magical performances for Newcastle. He inspired their miracle run to the 2023 finals series, has stepped, sprinted and dazzled on the field, and almost single-handlely won games for the club.
Who could forget his bravery to play on with a buster shoulder in the 2023 finals?
"When he is playing well, he is such a joy to watch," Mat Rogers, speaking on SEN Radio, said of Ponga on Monday. "But jeez he must be getting frustrated. It's been a bit of a one-man band."
It has been mostly hard to fault Ponga's effort in the red and blue.
But plenty of fans - and pundits - have questioned his form this season. Comments like "disinterested" have been levelled at the fullback.
As a player earning more than $1.3 million per year, does Ponga produce consistently enough for the Knights?
Newcastle officials might now understandably be asking themselves that question.
Through no fault of his own, Ponga has missed at least a third of the season in three of his eight Knights campaigns.
Injuries and concussions have hampered his past five years. Is he value for money?
MORE NEWCASTLE SPORT
The Knights have a genuine home-grown star in Fletcher Sharpe who already deputises for Ponga.
Sharpe shifted to five-eighth this year to ensure he was as close to the ball as possible, but plenty of good judges insist he is more suited to fullback.
The 21-year-old has scored 22 tries in 26 NRL games.
If Ponga does decide he wants to move on, and the Knights feel it is best to let him go, Sharpe shapes as a pretty handy replacement - and less expensive one.
Newcastle have also signed Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown on a monster 10-year, $13 million deal.
Can they accommodate both Brown and Ponga in their salary cap, and still have enough quality across the rest of their 30-man roster?
Given his price tag, it's unlikely Ponga would score an immediate move to another NRL club unless he took a hefty pay cut.
Incoming expansion franchise the Perth Bears could be an option for 2027, given Ponga's marketability having been born in Western Australia, but overseas rugby union appears the most profitable move.
"I think he'd make a great rugby union player," Rogers, a dual-international who represented Australia in both codes, said.
When Ponga arrived in late 2017 from his debut club North Queensland, he felt like a saviour for the struggling Knights.
If the NRL had a draft, he surely would have been the No.1 pick coming through. But if he leaves after this season, how much of a loss would it be?
Newcastle's winning percentage with - and without him - is about even since the start of the 2018 season.
There is no doubt he is a generational talent, but there are doubts about whether it is working for both parties now.
Essentially ruled out for the year following a Lisfranc injury last month, given what's transpiring at the Knights, will Ponga ever wear the red and blue again?
You have to wonder whether Kalyn Ponga has played his last game for the Newcastle Knights.
Almost eight years after the teenage superstar joined Newcastle, Ponga's career appears at a crossroads.
Speculation about his future is growing after the latest reports linking him with a New Zealand-based rugby union agent.
It comes amid suggestions Knights coach Adam O'Brien could be moved on at season's end.
Is Ponga exploring his options, or is it just further conjecture about his place in the game?
Right through Ponga's Knights career, it feels like there has been speculation linking him to rugby union. In recent years, it has been the whispers about him going to the Sydney Roosters.
Ponga's father, Andre, openly admitted last month he had fielded renewed approaches from the 15-man game.
"The interest is from overseas rugby, but it's not a conversation we are worrying about right now," Andre told News Limited. "He doesn't want to be rushed into a decision two years out.
"I know he wants a premiership for the Knights. The results don't show it but he is always optimistic.
"I guess it's a matter of the future. Kalyn is halfway through his tenure now and the Knights have some really talented kids coming through. It's probably one to ask in another 12 months' time, realistically."
How do comments like these help the Knights?
Is it borderline disrespectful to the club and its fans given Ponga has more than two full years remaining at the club?
Let's not forget Ponga is Newcastle's captain.
As the highest-paid player in the game, and one of its most marketable, Ponga is always going to attract plenty of media attention.
But how founded is the regular speculation about his future?
Maybe it's simply because he is such a big fish.
Or maybe it's because it was such a surprise Newcastle landed him in the first place (amid three wooden spoons), and given how talented he is, many are surprised he has stayed as long as he has.
Part of the problem is that Ponga and the Knights rarely come out and shut such talk down.
Asked at a post-match press conference in round two if he was unsettled at the club after reports suggesting as much that week, Ponga responded: "How did I play? How did I look out there? I look happy don't I?"
Asked afterwards if the speculation bothers him, he said: "It's all part of the game, I understand it. I'm used to it. It's been a big part of my career for so long. But again, it's not something that I worry about."
Newcastle have won six of 17 games this season, and are bound to miss the finals. As skipper, Ponga should be unhappy about that.
But in his eighth season at Newcastle and with the club having never gone further than week two of the play-offs, he could be forgiven for pondering his future.
At 27, if he is now more towards the end of his career than the start. And Newcastle appear no closer to a premiership than when he arrived in 2018.
"He's at an age where if he is going to pounce on rugby union, and he wants to play All Blacks, harsh to say for rugby league, but it's probably not far around the corner," Mitchell Pearce, who was halfback in Ponga's first four seasons at the Knights, said last month.
Ponga has produced some magical performances for Newcastle. He inspired their miracle run to the 2023 finals series, has stepped, sprinted and dazzled on the field, and almost single-handlely won games for the club.
Who could forget his bravery to play on with a buster shoulder in the 2023 finals?
"When he is playing well, he is such a joy to watch," Mat Rogers, speaking on SEN Radio, said of Ponga on Monday. "But jeez he must be getting frustrated. It's been a bit of a one-man band."
It has been mostly hard to fault Ponga's effort in the red and blue.
But plenty of fans - and pundits - have questioned his form this season. Comments like "disinterested" have been levelled at the fullback.
As a player earning more than $1.3 million per year, does Ponga produce consistently enough for the Knights?
Newcastle officials might now understandably be asking themselves that question.
Through no fault of his own, Ponga has missed at least a third of the season in three of his eight Knights campaigns.
Injuries and concussions have hampered his past five years. Is he value for money?
MORE NEWCASTLE SPORT
The Knights have a genuine home-grown star in Fletcher Sharpe who already deputises for Ponga.
Sharpe shifted to five-eighth this year to ensure he was as close to the ball as possible, but plenty of good judges insist he is more suited to fullback.
The 21-year-old has scored 22 tries in 26 NRL games.
If Ponga does decide he wants to move on, and the Knights feel it is best to let him go, Sharpe shapes as a pretty handy replacement - and less expensive one.
Newcastle have also signed Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown on a monster 10-year, $13 million deal.
Can they accommodate both Brown and Ponga in their salary cap, and still have enough quality across the rest of their 30-man roster?
Given his price tag, it's unlikely Ponga would score an immediate move to another NRL club unless he took a hefty pay cut.
Incoming expansion franchise the Perth Bears could be an option for 2027, given Ponga's marketability having been born in Western Australia, but overseas rugby union appears the most profitable move.
"I think he'd make a great rugby union player," Rogers, a dual-international who represented Australia in both codes, said.
When Ponga arrived in late 2017 from his debut club North Queensland, he felt like a saviour for the struggling Knights.
If the NRL had a draft, he surely would have been the No.1 pick coming through. But if he leaves after this season, how much of a loss would it be?
Newcastle's winning percentage with - and without him - is about even since the start of the 2018 season.
There is no doubt he is a generational talent, but there are doubts about whether it is working for both parties now.
Essentially ruled out for the year following a Lisfranc injury last month, given what's transpiring at the Knights, will Ponga ever wear the red and blue again?
You have to wonder whether Kalyn Ponga has played his last game for the Newcastle Knights.
Almost eight years after the teenage superstar joined Newcastle, Ponga's career appears at a crossroads.
Speculation about his future is growing after the latest reports linking him with a New Zealand-based rugby union agent.
It comes amid suggestions Knights coach Adam O'Brien could be moved on at season's end.
Is Ponga exploring his options, or is it just further conjecture about his place in the game?
Right through Ponga's Knights career, it feels like there has been speculation linking him to rugby union. In recent years, it has been the whispers about him going to the Sydney Roosters.
Ponga's father, Andre, openly admitted last month he had fielded renewed approaches from the 15-man game.
"The interest is from overseas rugby, but it's not a conversation we are worrying about right now," Andre told News Limited. "He doesn't want to be rushed into a decision two years out.
"I know he wants a premiership for the Knights. The results don't show it but he is always optimistic.
"I guess it's a matter of the future. Kalyn is halfway through his tenure now and the Knights have some really talented kids coming through. It's probably one to ask in another 12 months' time, realistically."
How do comments like these help the Knights?
Is it borderline disrespectful to the club and its fans given Ponga has more than two full years remaining at the club?
Let's not forget Ponga is Newcastle's captain.
As the highest-paid player in the game, and one of its most marketable, Ponga is always going to attract plenty of media attention.
But how founded is the regular speculation about his future?
Maybe it's simply because he is such a big fish.
Or maybe it's because it was such a surprise Newcastle landed him in the first place (amid three wooden spoons), and given how talented he is, many are surprised he has stayed as long as he has.
Part of the problem is that Ponga and the Knights rarely come out and shut such talk down.
Asked at a post-match press conference in round two if he was unsettled at the club after reports suggesting as much that week, Ponga responded: "How did I play? How did I look out there? I look happy don't I?"
Asked afterwards if the speculation bothers him, he said: "It's all part of the game, I understand it. I'm used to it. It's been a big part of my career for so long. But again, it's not something that I worry about."
Newcastle have won six of 17 games this season, and are bound to miss the finals. As skipper, Ponga should be unhappy about that.
But in his eighth season at Newcastle and with the club having never gone further than week two of the play-offs, he could be forgiven for pondering his future.
At 27, if he is now more towards the end of his career than the start. And Newcastle appear no closer to a premiership than when he arrived in 2018.
"He's at an age where if he is going to pounce on rugby union, and he wants to play All Blacks, harsh to say for rugby league, but it's probably not far around the corner," Mitchell Pearce, who was halfback in Ponga's first four seasons at the Knights, said last month.
Ponga has produced some magical performances for Newcastle. He inspired their miracle run to the 2023 finals series, has stepped, sprinted and dazzled on the field, and almost single-handlely won games for the club.
Who could forget his bravery to play on with a buster shoulder in the 2023 finals?
"When he is playing well, he is such a joy to watch," Mat Rogers, speaking on SEN Radio, said of Ponga on Monday. "But jeez he must be getting frustrated. It's been a bit of a one-man band."
It has been mostly hard to fault Ponga's effort in the red and blue.
But plenty of fans - and pundits - have questioned his form this season. Comments like "disinterested" have been levelled at the fullback.
As a player earning more than $1.3 million per year, does Ponga produce consistently enough for the Knights?
Newcastle officials might now understandably be asking themselves that question.
Through no fault of his own, Ponga has missed at least a third of the season in three of his eight Knights campaigns.
Injuries and concussions have hampered his past five years. Is he value for money?
MORE NEWCASTLE SPORT
The Knights have a genuine home-grown star in Fletcher Sharpe who already deputises for Ponga.
Sharpe shifted to five-eighth this year to ensure he was as close to the ball as possible, but plenty of good judges insist he is more suited to fullback.
The 21-year-old has scored 22 tries in 26 NRL games.
If Ponga does decide he wants to move on, and the Knights feel it is best to let him go, Sharpe shapes as a pretty handy replacement - and less expensive one.
Newcastle have also signed Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown on a monster 10-year, $13 million deal.
Can they accommodate both Brown and Ponga in their salary cap, and still have enough quality across the rest of their 30-man roster?
Given his price tag, it's unlikely Ponga would score an immediate move to another NRL club unless he took a hefty pay cut.
Incoming expansion franchise the Perth Bears could be an option for 2027, given Ponga's marketability having been born in Western Australia, but overseas rugby union appears the most profitable move.
"I think he'd make a great rugby union player," Rogers, a dual-international who represented Australia in both codes, said.
When Ponga arrived in late 2017 from his debut club North Queensland, he felt like a saviour for the struggling Knights.
If the NRL had a draft, he surely would have been the No.1 pick coming through. But if he leaves after this season, how much of a loss would it be?
Newcastle's winning percentage with - and without him - is about even since the start of the 2018 season.
There is no doubt he is a generational talent, but there are doubts about whether it is working for both parties now.
Essentially ruled out for the year following a Lisfranc injury last month, given what's transpiring at the Knights, will Ponga ever wear the red and blue again?
You have to wonder whether Kalyn Ponga has played his last game for the Newcastle Knights.
Almost eight years after the teenage superstar joined Newcastle, Ponga's career appears at a crossroads.
Speculation about his future is growing after the latest reports linking him with a New Zealand-based rugby union agent.
It comes amid suggestions Knights coach Adam O'Brien could be moved on at season's end.
Is Ponga exploring his options, or is it just further conjecture about his place in the game?
Right through Ponga's Knights career, it feels like there has been speculation linking him to rugby union. In recent years, it has been the whispers about him going to the Sydney Roosters.
Ponga's father, Andre, openly admitted last month he had fielded renewed approaches from the 15-man game.
"The interest is from overseas rugby, but it's not a conversation we are worrying about right now," Andre told News Limited. "He doesn't want to be rushed into a decision two years out.
"I know he wants a premiership for the Knights. The results don't show it but he is always optimistic.
"I guess it's a matter of the future. Kalyn is halfway through his tenure now and the Knights have some really talented kids coming through. It's probably one to ask in another 12 months' time, realistically."
How do comments like these help the Knights?
Is it borderline disrespectful to the club and its fans given Ponga has more than two full years remaining at the club?
Let's not forget Ponga is Newcastle's captain.
As the highest-paid player in the game, and one of its most marketable, Ponga is always going to attract plenty of media attention.
But how founded is the regular speculation about his future?
Maybe it's simply because he is such a big fish.
Or maybe it's because it was such a surprise Newcastle landed him in the first place (amid three wooden spoons), and given how talented he is, many are surprised he has stayed as long as he has.
Part of the problem is that Ponga and the Knights rarely come out and shut such talk down.
Asked at a post-match press conference in round two if he was unsettled at the club after reports suggesting as much that week, Ponga responded: "How did I play? How did I look out there? I look happy don't I?"
Asked afterwards if the speculation bothers him, he said: "It's all part of the game, I understand it. I'm used to it. It's been a big part of my career for so long. But again, it's not something that I worry about."
Newcastle have won six of 17 games this season, and are bound to miss the finals. As skipper, Ponga should be unhappy about that.
But in his eighth season at Newcastle and with the club having never gone further than week two of the play-offs, he could be forgiven for pondering his future.
At 27, if he is now more towards the end of his career than the start. And Newcastle appear no closer to a premiership than when he arrived in 2018.
"He's at an age where if he is going to pounce on rugby union, and he wants to play All Blacks, harsh to say for rugby league, but it's probably not far around the corner," Mitchell Pearce, who was halfback in Ponga's first four seasons at the Knights, said last month.
Ponga has produced some magical performances for Newcastle. He inspired their miracle run to the 2023 finals series, has stepped, sprinted and dazzled on the field, and almost single-handlely won games for the club.
Who could forget his bravery to play on with a buster shoulder in the 2023 finals?
"When he is playing well, he is such a joy to watch," Mat Rogers, speaking on SEN Radio, said of Ponga on Monday. "But jeez he must be getting frustrated. It's been a bit of a one-man band."
It has been mostly hard to fault Ponga's effort in the red and blue.
But plenty of fans - and pundits - have questioned his form this season. Comments like "disinterested" have been levelled at the fullback.
As a player earning more than $1.3 million per year, does Ponga produce consistently enough for the Knights?
Newcastle officials might now understandably be asking themselves that question.
Through no fault of his own, Ponga has missed at least a third of the season in three of his eight Knights campaigns.
Injuries and concussions have hampered his past five years. Is he value for money?
MORE NEWCASTLE SPORT
The Knights have a genuine home-grown star in Fletcher Sharpe who already deputises for Ponga.
Sharpe shifted to five-eighth this year to ensure he was as close to the ball as possible, but plenty of good judges insist he is more suited to fullback.
The 21-year-old has scored 22 tries in 26 NRL games.
If Ponga does decide he wants to move on, and the Knights feel it is best to let him go, Sharpe shapes as a pretty handy replacement - and less expensive one.
Newcastle have also signed Eels five-eighth Dylan Brown on a monster 10-year, $13 million deal.
Can they accommodate both Brown and Ponga in their salary cap, and still have enough quality across the rest of their 30-man roster?
Given his price tag, it's unlikely Ponga would score an immediate move to another NRL club unless he took a hefty pay cut.
Incoming expansion franchise the Perth Bears could be an option for 2027, given Ponga's marketability having been born in Western Australia, but overseas rugby union appears the most profitable move.
"I think he'd make a great rugby union player," Rogers, a dual-international who represented Australia in both codes, said.
When Ponga arrived in late 2017 from his debut club North Queensland, he felt like a saviour for the struggling Knights.
If the NRL had a draft, he surely would have been the No.1 pick coming through. But if he leaves after this season, how much of a loss would it be?
Newcastle's winning percentage with - and without him - is about even since the start of the 2018 season.
There is no doubt he is a generational talent, but there are doubts about whether it is working for both parties now.
Essentially ruled out for the year following a Lisfranc injury last month, given what's transpiring at the Knights, will Ponga ever wear the red and blue again?

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

ABC News
39 minutes ago
- ABC News
Lucie Fityus excited to compete in first Tour de France Femmes
Since Lucie Fityus started cycling at the age of 11, she has been asked one question time and time again: Will you race the Tour de France? The Newcastle-born rider will be able to answer "yes" to that question when she lines up for the opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes on Saturday night, AEST. Fityus is competing in her maiden Tour de France Femmes, and is one of seven Australians participating in this year's tour. Racing for French team St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93, Fityus will be teammates with fellow Aussie Emily Watts. Speaking to ABC Sport ahead of her first tour, Fityus said excitement was the emotion she feels most. "It's been a really long journey. I started when I was 11 or 12 back in Newcastle on the Velodrome. "It's taken years to get to this point. It's been a really, really steady sort of build since I was younger. "So, I'm really excited for it." Fityus said she only got into the sport because, growing up, she would copy whatever her brother would do. So when she saw his mates racing on the Velodrome, she jumped at the opportunity when they invited her into the sport. "My parents aren't cycling people at all, so I wasn't introduced to it through my parents. "[My brother's] friends got him into it, and then they got me into it." Now a professional cyclist living in Spain, Fityus has taken part in big races this year, including Paris-Roubaix Femmes and Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes. The Australian will also garner the support of the locals during the tour, who enjoy cheering for a French team as much as they enjoy cheering for French riders. "It's quite special to be competing in the biggest French race with a French team." A maiden tour also means a new style of preparation to tackle the nine-stage event, which ends with two big mountain stages. For Fityus, this meant joining her teammates on a camp at high altitude, spending two and a half weeks above 1,800 metres of elevation. "This assists in sort of naturally raising your red blood cell level in your body, so that you then have more oxygen going around your blood," she said. "The effects last for about three weeks, and that's a little bit different. I haven't done that before." The Tour de France Femmes begins on Saturday evening, AEST, in the Brittany region of north western France, with a 78.8-kilometre stage from Vannes to Plumelec.

News.com.au
39 minutes ago
- News.com.au
The Gold Coast Titans put poor attacking start behind them in NRLW win over New Zealand warriors
Gold Coast's poor attacking start to the NRLW season is a distant memory after they blitzed the Warriors early to pick up their second road win on the trot. The Titans scored just two tries in the first two rounds but matched that in the opening 15 minutes on Saturday as they made the most of their hot start to beat the Warriors 20-10 in Auckland. Last week's win over the Wests Tigers was the confidence boost they needed, with the Titans moving the ball with precision as both wingers crossed in the first half. The decision to start Lily-Rose Kolc on the bench proved to be a masterstroke as her fresh legs helped her dart through to score from dummy-half, while Jaime Chapman traded her unrivalled speed for sheer strength as she fought through three defenders to cross in the second half. These are the wins that can make all the difference in a tight race to the finals, with Lauren Brown's kicking game and the form of their forwards enough to keep them in most games, with Georgia Hale making 40 tackles with just one miss. ROOM TO GROW The Warriors will feel like they could have easily won this, but 11 penalties conceded and an unwillingness to chance their arm hurt them in the end as they fell to their third loss from four games in their return to the competition. They got back within 10 and were camped on the Titans' line for five minutes but couldn't crack them, with an Apii Nicholls grubber sailing dead to end their comeback. Emmanita Paki should have scored for them in the first half, only for the centre to spill a grubber, but she made no mistake a few minutes later when she offloaded to winger Payton Takimoana who became the first player to reach five tries this season.

Courier-Mail
40 minutes ago
- Courier-Mail
Peter Moody says immature filly Ole Dancer ‘has the quality' for spring after return win at Caulfield
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Less could be more if strong Caulfield winner Ole Dancer makes it to the Group 1 Thousand Guineas in October. The Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained filly remained unbeaten in the 2YO Handicap (1200m), the former said the two-year-old had plenty of improving to do. Premiership-leading jockey Blake Shinn had to push Ole Dancer off the leaders' heels into clear running in the straight but the $3.90 favourite comfortably held off the honest Thanks Gorgeous ($6.50) to win by a length. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet IQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'She got a little bit lost when she went to the front but she's a quality filly that is still quite immature but I think she's got nice upside to come,' Moody said. 'I think she's got the quality to be running in spring races but whether she has the maturity will probably be the question mark.' Ole Dancer easily won the SA Magic Millions Classic on debut at Murray Bridge in March before making it two wins from as many starts at Caulfield. However, Moody said the Ole Kirk filly had not shown 'as much (development) as I would have liked' in the months between her first and second starts. The rising three-year-old's immaturity means Moody and Coleman were likely to give Ole Dancer one run between Saturday and the Thousand Guineas (1600m) on October 18. 'If she got to a race like a Thousand Guineas, she'd probably get there on one run, she's that type of filly,' Moody said. 'She won't need a lot of racing due to a lack of maturity so we'll just monitor that as we go along. 'Maybe there will be something in the back end of August. 'Well give her another month and a pretty easy time of it and find another 12 (00) or 1300(m) or something like that.' Ole Dancer gave Moody and Coleman their 29th city win of the season, leaving the Pakenham-based duo sixth in the Melbourne trainers' premiership. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ STYLISH BIRTHDAY PRESENT Stylish Secret gave trainer Mick Nolan an early 70th birthday present with victory at Caulfield. Stylish Secret overhauled Verona Rupes with every bit of fitness acquired from seven preceding starts for the campaign to get the result – Nolan's first Caulfield winner. 'My first runners I had at Moonee Valley, Flemington and Sandown all won,' Nolan said. 'I've been a bit cranky, I've had to wait four (starters) for this, but I've got them all now.' Nolan, who turns 70 on Sunday, will celebrate the birthday with Stylish Secret owners and '10 stubbies too many'. 'It's going to be great, all the owners are going to be there,' Nolan said. 'You only get to 70 once in your life.' Stylish Secret covered 13,500 race metres the past seven starts, building to the 2400m 3YO Open Handicap win. 'I sent an audio this morning (owners' update), I added it up (distance raced) … said it's done 15,000 metres, Bart (Cummings)only had to do 10,000 (metres),' Nolan said. Cups King Bart Cummings had a theory stayers required 10,000 metres under the belt to prepare for the Melbourne Cup. FAMILY MATTERS Jockey Matt Cartwright sealed a special win aboard Pop Award for his grandmother and mother, trainers Lyn Tolson and Leonie Proctor, at Caulfield on Saturday. Cartwright went stride for stride in the straight Blake Shinn-ridden favourite Verdoux and got the result late in the 1100m Benchmark 78. Shinn had ridden Pop Award to victory last campaign but could not quite get the 55kg required on Saturday. 'I know I'm family but I'm still thankful I got the ride on her because of the 55kg,' Cartwright said. 'There was a bit of pressure around, obviously I'm not Blake Shinn. 'I'm glad I could give her (Pop Award) a good ride and she won well.' Cartwright felt comfortable throughout on Pop Award despite the mare being first-up. Cartwright is set to ride in New Zealand next season. DICTIONARY ROLLS ODDS-ON 'CHAMPION' Trainer John Moloney was almost apologetic after his charge Dictionary outslugged Jimmy The Bear in the VOBIS Gold Stayers(2400m). Blinkers made all the difference to Dictionary ($14) while jockey Daniel Stackhouse's ground-saving ride contributed to the gelding's upset win over the $1.45 favourite. 'To knock off the legend Jimmy The Bear, well that's a bit special,' Moloney said. 'You never want to knock down a champion and he's been the champion of this winter so we were lucky to beat him.' 'Jimmy has nearly done everything (to win) but it's a treat to be able to pull the race off.' Dictionary ran third in last year's edition of the $175,000 race before prevailing in Saturday's five-horse field. BLUEBLOOD ON HIS BEST BEHAVIOUR To switch up the saying, $1.6m is one person's trash while another's $65,000 is treasure. Coolmore Australia boss Tom Magnier paid $1.6m for Behaviour at a yearling sale in 2023 before syndicator Flying Start snapped up the son of I Am Invincible for just $65,000 at an online sale in January. Chris Waller was unsuccessful in four cracks with Behaviour but the gelding posted his second win in six starts for Cranbourne trainer Gavin Bedggood in the 3YO Handicap (1200m). Jockey Jamie Melham continued her winning return from holidays when she brought Behaviour home over the top of Craig Williams's mount Bossy Benita. 'It was a perfectly executed ride and I'm just grateful he was sent my way,' Bedggood said. – additional reporting by Gilbert Gardiner Originally published as Peter Moody says immature filly Ole Dancer 'has the quality' to race in spring after her return win at Caulfield