With Mitchell Moses a shoe-in for a spot in the halves, it's time to look at who is in contention to partner him and how that combination might work. As Phil revealed yesterday, Dylan Brown is firming for the five-eighth spot and we might get a view of that in the trial matches in February. But for now, let's look at those still in the running.
Dylan Brown
Well, it makes sense to start here given he will seemingly get first crack at the number six. Brown is a prodigiously talented half who has really been playing beyond his years. With a cool head and a strong kicking game, he could be the organising half the Eels have been missing and allow Moses the freedom to run the ball. Only turning 18 last year, he made his ISP debut, playing five matches, laying on two tries and three line break assists. A debut this season would see him enter the NRL at the same age as Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary.
Pros - Debuting him early would give him a chance to settle into the side rather than having him jump in the deep end in the middle or end of the season when the Eels season could be hanging by a thread. It would also be a real sign of intent of keeping and extending Brown's contract. There are already rumours the New Zealand Warriors have been circling him since the departure of Shaun Johnson. Brown's probably the most talented junior half we have coming through the grades and should he have a break out year he could take a lot of pressure off Mitchell Moses.
Cons - His age could be held against him. Not too many players debut in the halves when they're 18. Even players such as Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston made their debuts from the bench. There are also no heavily experienced players in the Parramatta spine. Moses has had the most time in the NRL with 105 games with the next most experienced being Kaysa Pritchard and Bevan French who are both on 47 games. One of the reasons Nathan Cleary was trusted to debut at 18 was the presence of Peter Wallace in the side whose experience could be called upon to take charge if needed.
Verdict - He's the most likely player to appear alongside Mitchell Moses at the start of the season. He has a lot of upside and is a natural half, whereas the majority of the other candidates have been shuffled around throughout their careers.
Jaeman Salmon
Recruited from Cronulla's junior system last year and making his debut towards the back end of the season, Salmon put in a number of solid performances, starting three of his five matches at five-eighth. He was widely tipped to slot into the number six role when Norman departed for the Dragons but it appears he is being favoured for a centre position. A boom rookie from the Sharks, he's most threatening when taking on the line and this is likely why he is being looked at as a centre. In Moses, the Eels already have a running half.
Pros - He's already made his NRL debut and acquitted himself admirably. At 92kg he's heavier than both Brown and Moses and so provides a better defensive option. A very strong ball-runner, he could add another dimension to the Eels' attacking raids and given his size would be hard to stop one-on-one which is something the Eels have been missing in their halves. A large, strong half, causes headaches for defenders as they have to be more aware of the running game close to the line.
Cons - As a running half the Eels could end up in the same position they were last year. Parramatta really needs an organiser out there and while Moses can provide that, he's much more of a threat being able to take the line on rather than direct his side to a place on the field.
Verdict - By all reports he's been training in the centres for most of the off-season and will at least feature there in the trials. He does however provide an injury cover option if injuries were to hit the halves.
Clint Gutherson
He's essentially Parramatta's version Kurt Gidley or Luke Lewis. Have a problem? Put Guth there, he'll sort it out. There's no denying that if you were to put Gutherson into the halves again that he'd play his absolute heart every game and do everything he possibly could to win. But realistically he's not the long-term solution to the Eels' halves problem.
Pros - He's the most experienced of the halves contenders and has been in the NRL for a while now, although injuries have limited him to just 66 first grade games in five seasons. He's more than solid defensively and is a player respected by all of his teammates. As captain of the side he's also looked to when the chips are down and he's always going to be pushing those around him.
Cons - He's not a natural half and is limited in that respect. He was just above average at best when playing there in 2017 and as I said, he's not the long term option. His playing there also weakens a spot in our backline, whether it's the centres or fullback.
Verdict - It's very unlikely we'll see Guth in the number six this season unless an injury crisis hits. He's always played his best football in the backline and if off-season training is to be believed he will be getting first crack at the fullback position.
Will Smith
Although more a utility these days who has popped up at fullback, hooker, wing and in the halves, Will Smith could become an option. He came through the grades at Newcastle and Penrith as a five-eighth, debuting in that position in 2014. He's very much a running player who is deceptively strong for his size. He reportedly is one of Parramatta's strongest players, pound-for-pound and, over 100 metres he can match Bevan French. He saw very little top flight game time in 2018 but did a more than admirable job when called upon in the 2017 season.
Pros - Of all the players named he's probably one of the more physical players and he can bounce out of tackles. He presents a very clear running threat to the defensive line and is difficult to bring down one-on-one. He's also up there with Clint Gutherson as a support player through the middle and despite his size, his experience playing at hooker in the last two seasons means he would cope with the defensive workload.
Cons - He's far from your first choice given he's never really shown a kicking game and his running abilities are probably better suited to the fullback position where he can take advantage of broken defensive lines or laxed kick chases.
Verdict - Will probably only see first grade time if there are injuries. Although a dependable player he doesn't seem to be anywhere near the top 17 and will more than likely be used as a utility if needed,
Comments
Brown needs the rest of the team to go hard.throwing a rookie half into a rabble and expecting him to succeed seems like a recipe for disaster. Hope he's made of tougher stuff than our last boom rookie halfback sensation.
I think the spot is Brown's. On paper he seems to fit in quite well with what the team needs. He will need support, and having Gutho at fullback and Salmon at centre could give him the support he needs. As you say, our spine may be a little inexperienced, but it is time now for Moses and Gutherson to take control of this team. No Norman or Hayne only makes this even more important. Parra could do well this year, but the players are going to have to be very mentally strong and able to but behind them the inevitable bad days.
Do you think that there us any truth in the rumour that we are interested in signing Todd Carney? I would say yes to a one year deal to allow Dylan Brown a bit longer to mature and develop.
What does everyone else think?
Zero chance of that happening
I did a bowel reading (just like a coffee reading) and it says Brown @ 6 is going to shit over everyone in the NRL and be the next superstar. Brown operates right outside the box and no defence can contain him for 80 minutes. Pure genius. The stars are all falling in the right place for Brown.
Moses should be our first choice 6 and Brown our first choice 7. Moses is not a natural halfback and should only be in the key organising role if Brown is injured/not up to be it due to inexperience.
I passed by the Saleyards yesterday and watch while they played a full contact game vs each other..
Brown was at 6 but Moses was definitely calling the shots.
Brown guranteed the 6 round 1 from what I hear.
Of note Bevan was running the show from No1 for the seconds team and looked really sharp.
It will be brown and Moses in the halves I reckon.
Salmon could even play lock ?
1: B French
2: B Ferguson
3: M Jennings
4: C Gutherson
5: M Sivo
6: M Moses
7: D Brown
8: Jr Paulo
9: R Mahoney
10: D Alvaro
11: T Moeroa
12: S Lane
13: J Salmon ? Extra ball player
14: N Brown
15: M Mau
16: P Terepo
17: T Mannah
makes the bench look stronger too
From the opposed traing video on the eels app. It looks like it gives us a good idea of the team line-up. Chief seems to be on the money
Good summation Super.
Although a few years older (22 v 18) Lachlan Lewis debuted last year with a massive (positive) imapct for the Dogs.
No one knows what any player is capable of doing until they are put under fire.
Fittler was one of the youngest players to ever debut in his day (17?) and look at that result.
IF Brown is anywhere as good as his publicity then we may have a winner -the mental aspect for young guys stepping up is always the key.
I would not mind Salmon, but as you said he plays very much like Mitch as a running half.
As long as the pecking order is firmly established - organiser being one person only - all we can do is wait and see.
I would not expect mind boggling, world beating performances from a debutant, but as long as we see constant and continued improvement it is hard to ask for more than that.
Smith is definitely untility value now, but I still go back to his combination with Moses end of '17. Almost as fast as French has got to have him in contention somewhere.
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