While a lot of the pre-season talk for the Eels has centred around young gun Dylan Brown, the reality is that the Eel’s season will revolve around Mitchell Moses.
My information is that Moses will definitely wear the number seven again in 2019 with a clear remit to take control of the side.
It’s quite an extraordinary turn-around, considering reports that Moses was unwanted at Parramatta.
Those reports followed last year’s Football Review. It doesn’t take a large leap of logic to conclude that the review found a lack of chemistry between halves Moses and Norman was a significant contributor to last year’s dismal results and speculation circulated from early in the year that there was a personality clash between the two. Based on those media reports, the result was that both halves were put into the shop window.
I understand that Brad Arthur was so frustrated with his halves last year, that he was quite prepared to go into the 2019 season with young guns Dylan Brown and Jaemen Salmon has his first choice pairing.
However, this pre-season appears to have earned Moses the opportunity for redemption and I’ve heard nothing but good things about this attitude and performances to date this season.
Throughout his career, there have been conflicting reports about his leadership and impact on team harmony. I watched former Tigers coach Jason Taylor laud praise on Moses for his maturity and natural leadership at an NRL coaching conference. However, six months later Moses was escorted out of the club with rumours that there had been friction within the playing group. Talk to some Tigers fan and they’ll tell you that last year’s speculation about troubles at the Eels, didn’t surprise them one bit.
From a playing perspective, I honestly think Moses is within the top handful of players in the game based on pure talent. He really does have the full kit bag of skills. His acceleration is electric and he has ankle-snapping stepping skills. His cut-out passes make regular highlight reels and he has a kicking game, albeit one that still needs development. But he is genuinely the triple threat when it comes to running, passing and kicking.
What he has missed is composure under pressure and game management and right now, that’s why Nathan Cleary has graduated to representative level and Moses hasn’t. And too often last year, he went away from what he does best, which is to use his running game to trouble the middle third.
When he does that, Moses is thrilling. When the Eels tore apart the Top Four-placed Dragons at Homebush last year, Moses was at his scintillating best and it was off the back of his running game that the Eel’s thrived. When any halfback is threatening the middle of the ruck, it encourages opposition defences to compress and that in turn open up space for the rest of the side. It was no coincidence that when Moses was on his game it benefitted the rest of the side who romped to a 40 to four victory.
Thankfully, it looks like Moses is very aware of both of these issues. In a pre-season interview with The Daily Telegraph, Moses said that: “I need to get back to taking the line on… I feel like when I’m playing my best, I’m running the footy.”
And then he added: “It’s about putting the team first. That’s how we have to do things this year, play as a team”.
Meanwhile, coach Brad Arthur says that Moses has been doing extras in terms of both physical work and his kicking. And importantly he seems to be thriving as the authority figure in the spine.
“Mitch is now really comfortable in his role and delivering the message to the younger blokes,” Arthur was quoted as saying.
There is little doubt about Moses’ potential. It has been repeatedly been reported that NSW Origin coach Brad Fittler is a fan, following the pair working together for Lebanon and that’s as much a tout to what he has within him, as anything. However, Moses now needs to take the next step - to produce his best football consistently week-on-week and to grow into the kind of leader Parramatta desperately need.
It’s easy to get excited about the possibility of an un-tested youngster, but in Moses, the Eels have something that is worthy of even greater anticipation. A player who has been through all the ups and downs that come with establishing yourself in the National Rugby League and has hopefully worked through that, to be on the verge of blossoming into a genuine star of the game. And if he can make that progression, he’ll take the Eels along for the ride with him in 2019.
Comments
Fair post Phil. Problem that I see are the amount of ifs regarding him.
Seems a bit of a repeat of why he wanted out of the Tigers even though he and his halves partner Luke Brooks are mates and board together both wanted the 7 spot and control of the team, MM showed what he could do with Norms as his partner in his first half season with us, but it really went belly up in 2018, one game against Saints showed what he is capable of, but he needs to fill his tank with high octane fuel week in and out, rather than a 2 stroke mix.
Chemistry in the halves is such an important thing so I"m choosing to be optimistic. Fact is, I loved the way Moses plays so I'm going full-unicorn on this - I love a hard-running half-back who takes on the line, but also has silky skills and as I've said before a younger JT is probably the player I equate with having that similar mix of skils. Probably like JT, there are always going to be those questions around whether he is a six or seven becuase they're running game comes first, but I think as these players mature the number on the back becomes less important. You can still manage a team as a six.
Yeah there’s no doubting his ability, it’s between the ears he has to get right & learn to be patient, I hope it happens soon otherwise we are looking at a very long painful year again
Yep, agreed. We've got two very big IFs that our season looks to be riding on:
IF Moses fulfills his potential
IF Brown is as good as everyone hopes he is.
We get one of those we're probably mid-table, we get none of those we're bottom of the table, we get both, who knows!
Browns composure and egoless attitude will provide the stability for Moses to do much of the attacking forays, at least during the early-mid part of the 2019 season and I'm predicting a very sussesful combo from these two, something we've not had consistently at a high standard since Sterling and Kenny. It seems Moses has turned the page on "attitude" (maybe someone he deeply respects got in his ear and he really listened) and his work ethic, putting in the extra hours every training day, being extremely helpful around the club, etc. And avoiding his "old" self-obsession" crap. A mature Moses with a level head will do our squad wonders and I'm so glad we got rid of space cadet Norman.
What’s the Buzz this morning is reporting that the Eels are chasing another half. It was reported earlier in the preseason that the Panthers were trying to offload Maloney to enable them to sign Laoiu (spelling) to an NRL contract.
This could be who they are chasing with Penrith picking up some of the freight. Of course all of this is pure speculation so we have to wait and see.
Moses left Tigers because he was offered a large contract for months and refused to sign it holding out for more from Tigers or other clubs. When that was withdrawn and was offered his true worth he wanted out. Eels offered him a bucket load which was the incentive to change clubs. We all agree he has skills but my observance is he obviously does not like to get tackled so never runs the ball. This has perfected his fast cut out passes. If this does not improve I can't see him here next year or lasting the year out.
If Moses is the man I hope Brown is as good as everyone is saying as other wise we are screwed. Moses was the dominant half most of last season and how did he go and were did we end up! Every one is quik to bag Norman but make up excuses for Moses. Oh the forwards were dominated etc. Well they were the same forwards when Norman was the dominant half and he performed 100 times better than Moses. Moses is a show pony and as for when he was at the tigers go and and have a good look as he was the dominant half and they were crap and improved out of sight when he left and Brooks took over as the dominant half.
Moses wasn't the dominant half last season, he was mostly parked on the right hand side of the field, with Norman playing in the middle (and the fullback on the left).
Norman got more touches than Moses in 15 of the 17 games they played together in the halves.
That was a good read.
It really is a make or break season for almost all at the eels, particularly Moses. I hope that expectation doesn’t get the best of him and that will largely depend on who partners him in the halves. I still think Maloney or Green would be a great get for Parra and particularly Mitch. The best attribute I would like to see this season is consistency. I believe that having Ferguson in the side will make Moses lift too. I hope that he gets those deep kicks into the corners back this season because when he’s on song, there aren’t many better than him.
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