How do you feel about M Moses?

I know Moses cops it after a loss, all halbacks do.

However,  I get the impression most on this site quite like him as a player and want to re-sign him. That makes me think maybe I judge him too harshly. 

However, to be honest, I find him confronting. He is the only Eels player (in a key position) that I have ever disliked. I know he is heaps better than some of the bog players we have had over years; Keating, Roberts and Maguire to name a few. But I never really begrudged those guys because they were not as naturally gifted and didn't act like the team ought to revolve around them.

Moses, in my opinion, is the worst signing under BA. He is not a halfback. If Dylan Brown comes out of injury and continues on the same trajectory of his first 3 NRL games, then I'd be happy to sign Moses as a running 5/8, but only on the condition that he weens off the control over time and hands the keys to Brown. 

Moses is not too dissimilar to Sandow. Both are freak talents. When the team is going well, their instinctive attacking play is brilliant. However,  neither manage a game well, particularly when it is on the line or the forwards are getting beaten. 

The thing that irritates me most (and I have said it heaps on this site) is Moses lack of poise. He doesn't play with time. He often plays like there is only 30 seconds left on the clock and the team is down by 4. His passes are rushed and panicky, as is his kicking, and he doesn't seem to take the right option and/or really weigh up what the team needs of him.  

I can't see Parra ever winning a premiership whilst ever he is the dominant half.

I know he always tries hard and that is admirable. However,  I think this quality is off-set by his want to be in control and dominate the game when,  clearly (imo), he doesn't have the mind/ true confidence for it. 

How do you feel?

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Replies

    • You’ve turned on BA, just a matter of time before you come to the light on Moses. You could at least admit he’s not quite the superstar you had him pegged as. Thurston, I think you said? 

    • You have misunderstood my use of the word "dominant". I mean the dominant playmaker/organiser/ controller of the team. Traditionally, it was the first receiver. Therefore,  the are at least 16 dominant halves in the NRL on any one weekend. 

      If Moses played for one of the top 3 teams, he either comes off the bench or would not be the dominant half. He wouldn't start at South's or Roosters and would play second fiddle to both Muster and Smith at the Storm. In the latter scenario, it's not clear whether he would play origin or not. In the former two scenarios, he would be no chance. 

      His mid field bombs are ineffective. He needs more variety and command a better chase when he does use it. That is his role as halfback. He also needs to position the kick better to give his chasers a chance of competing for the ball. 

      Your comments about his lack of poise being a function of him having to lift the pace of his underperforming team members is flawed. Guth and Mahoney play an up-tempo style of play (as do many spine players, like Cook and Keary) but they do not look flustered when taking an option to pass, kick, run etc... Moreover,  lifting the pace is not neccessarily a desired response to an underperforming team, particularly if he cannot operate effectively within that style of play. He is the key play maker after all. Cleary, Ash Taylor and Pearce have all played in underperforming teams this year, none of them have reverted to playing like a headless chook in response. 

      The 'emperors new clothes' analogy is off the mark (at least with me). I have never rated Moses and was not happy when we signed him, noting we already had a capable 5/8. I thought we should have pursued Brooks in the Tigers fire sale of the 'Big 4', not Moses. 

      Finally, Moses stats this year are over inflated by that massive win against the Tigers where he racked up a lot of attacking stats. He has otherwise been ok due to the team winning half of the games we have played. As stated in the original blog, when the team is on, he can be brilliant. It's when the team needs him to take the game by the scruff of the neck (like Pearce has been doing of late) that he falls down and shows he is not a natural 7. 

  • Never been a fan he is more of a running 5 8th than a play maker.

  • I said it before moses and sandow are the same both capable of winning you a game and at there peak exceptionally talent but when they haveca bad game its very bad.

    I personally wouldn't sign moses beyond this year but if we do he has to be as a 6 he has shown when hes the primary ball player it doesn't work his kicking game is to erratic 

  • Moses is good enough and not our issue.

    Our issue, as it has been for all of BA's time here is our powder puff middle third.If we dominate the middle, our halves whoever they are would be able to create points and pressure. Moses is good enough.

  • johnny be great, moses was shot down by thurstan last thursday night, he blamed him for the eels losing more then others..

    • Enniss has had a couple of goes at his attitude as well.

      I do believe he is trying his best  but he is part of the problem ...its not all his fault and  it never is when a team is going this crappy just like last year. Moses is the very definition of a ‘confidence’ player and has been as far back as I remember much like Chrissy but without the 40:20 :) 

      those rubbish mid field bombs he perfected last year as his go to panic play have simply got to stop. When is he going to realise they do no good just like they didn’t last year ... think he was going for the record in the close Dogs game last year he was begging them into the match (no height or take difficulty factor about them) and straight down Mbyes throat.How can we possibly build any semblance of pressure doing that -  with at times an already half arsed tired go forward and other times a complete release of what little sustained pressure we have built opting for the wrong choice.

      he needs to adjust his kick  game to suit THIS team...hope he can and earn respect. Chrissy couldn’t.

      It doesn’t help settle anything and lord knows we need to settle with a lot more direction.

       

      • Agree Macy, especially the mid field bombs, where they are basically all the same both in distance and where they are kicked to, meaning the opposition has the chance to load that side of the field to take the dud bomb and proect the taker and allow him to attack.

        Moses needs very much to put variation in his kicks, there is nothing except the high ball onl last tackle, he does not seem to run the ball at the defence and do a grubber with the hope of regaining and perhaps a mistake from the startled opposition gets another 5 tackles.

        If none of the other players who are supposed to be there backing him up and going to where the bomb is heading to stop the catcher from making ground, he might as well just surrender or knock the ball on to force a scrum as the opposition would likely ran the ball back to near where it was kicked.

        The whole team needs to be more attack minded especially in defence, they hurt the eels, so we use a new wrapped powder puff tactic on them.

        In many ways I feel for him as since Dylan was lost to injury he has progressively gone backwards as whoerver has been at 6 has not been working with him,and those picked do not have a variation in play styles either especially kicks. Reason I would like to see French tried at 6, he had another VG game at Wenty yesterday and voted best player on the field, scoring 1 more try and 3 goals, 1 missed conversion, made most metres in attack as well,

        Lets not forget his kicking abilities on the run, high short  and regain, score!

        To me, the answer to the team is not just with MM, but the whole lot of the players who need to be attack minded when in defence, and in possesion, but in possesion try some variation not just one up all the time, run hard and to gaps.

        • Yes Col I do feel a little sorry for him too and think we all get his frustrations but he has to accept that he too can do better to help. it’s about time he adjusts his kick game to suit this team and not repeat what didn’t help last year. Take the bloody reigns and settle.

          as for the loss of Dylan who is the composed type, making such a difference to his game, that’s true. However when an eighteen year old couple of nrl games rookie makes such a supposed difference to our marquee, why doesn’t that tell us something?

          Also, if Dylan doesn’t manage to come back or chooses to accept the warriors offer, what then?

          this is why I’d have a Blake green Nathan Cleary half any day over the hot headed ones

          ...all nrl halves have the skill levels  or they wouldn’t be there it’s just the headspace that makes the difference

    • I wish I had of seen that

This reply was deleted.

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