First off, I want to start this blog by saying that I am a fan of Mitch and that I think he is a good player and this is not about bashing him. I supported him coming to the Eels and still believe he can play a part in us winning a premiership but I just don't think he will be the one to lead us there. I believe Mitch is a running 5/8 who has a decent kicking game but he even needs to work on that as other than the odd grubber and a predictable end over end bomb, he doesn't have much else that he can produce on a regular basis. He needs to mix things up a lot more with medium lenght kicks that hit the ground in open space and the hard to catch floating bomb.
For as long as I can remember watching Mitch (Tigers & Eels), he has alwasy been a player that feeds off the rest of the team and their energy. He plays well when the team is doing well and on the front foot but rarely has he ever been able to grab the team by the scruff of the neck and drag a loosing team across the line. I have seen him a number of times ice a close match with the winning play but I cannot remember him ever pulling a down and out team across the line. The difference betwee the good players who will all have a moment or two in their career where they do something like that but only the greats do it regularly and Mitch hasn't been able to do that even on an inrequent basis.
Last night in the final Origin match, Mitch showed that he just isn't able to take a team and lead them across the finish line. Mitch was playing with possibly the greatest backline we have ever seen, a reasonable forward pack who were holding their own and he wasn't able to creat any momentun to push the Blue's to a victory. Yes, Mitch put in a nice grubber for Api but it was pure luck that Api was pushing up because there were no other players that were any chance of getting close to that, not even Mitch. That means that the othe players weren't aware of what he was doing. That is a problem for both Mitch and his team mates. The game was on the line for the entire second half and that was Mitch's time to shine and show all of Rugby League, NSW and in particular Freddy that he was at the very least, the next best half for NSW. Unfortunately, all he could do was pass the ball off to the back lline when there was obviously nothing happening and hoping that they would create something. I know some will say that maybe that was the game plan from Freddy and I am not saying that it wasn't. But what I am saying is that when the original game plan isn't working and the game is on the line, someone needs to step up and lead their team to opportunities and hopefully a win. I not saying Mitch played bad, he just didn't play well and as a half (like it or not), you are expected to lead your team to victory if they are struggling.
I know Freddy has come out and publicly said that he was happy with Mitch and Wighton's performance but I think that is Freddy just being polite and I don't think Mitch is likely to get another crack at Origin again unless he turns his inability to make things happen when the chips are down, into wins.
You can have a look at the Eels games when they weren't playing well and Mitch has done exactly the same thing. He gets the ball an passes it off in hopes that someone else will create something. Mitch plays his best football off others, he isn't a creator and that's fine. Not every player can be a creator but the Eels need a half that can create and a 5/8 that can play off the back of that and that is where I see Mitch's future. I think he can be a good, maybe a great 5/8, but what he isn't and I don't think he can be is a great half who can lead a struggling team to victory.
This blog is not a "Lets get rid of Mitch" blog, this is just a blog stating some obivous issues with Mitch playing at half instead of 5/8. 5/8 is where he has played his best footy for both for the Eels and the Tigers.
Happy to hear your thoughts?
Replies
Brissy. Great summary . Moses was always going to come up short . Wighton was always going demand the ball more , run the ball more and Mitch certainly get fed scraps from cook. He did not run because I felt he had to feed this great backline . In the end the two greatest stars were cannibalised but Tedesco and Wighton and given no quality ball
I doubt he will get too many opportunities with the Dominance of Cleary and co . The experience would do him more good than bad . Watching how others respond to pressure , adversity , etc.
Rather have played 1 state of origin match than none.
Well said PT.
I hope this experience he has had in the past month will pay off in the FINALS. GOOD LUCK MM......GO PARRA...✌
If I was Mitch and given the flack he has copped I would tell those in charge of SOO that he was unavailable to play, & stick it.
Hi Matt,
You summed it up perfectly, he had the best players around him and still couldn't get the job done, there's your answer right there.
The game plan should have been to get early ball to the centres in which he failed to do.
It was almost like watching him play for Parramatta, this was an opportunity for Mitch to cut loose and really get creative.
For me he didn't inject himself enough and all he done was catch and pass which Jnr Paulo could have done.
I think he may have lost his creative spark that may have never really been there to begin with.
Its clearly obvious he needs to pin the ears back and run the ball because without it there's not much going on.
Best regards,
Scott
He didn't get early ball to the centres????????? Wtf were you watching?, sorry Scott that's exactly what he did when he eventually got his hands on the ball once cook went off.
Read Muttmans blog about moses being the most hated player, it paints a pretty good picture of the role moses played in the game.
Yeah, haters gonna hate. Don't mind Moses getting criticised for the right reasons since there might be truth to it. But just blaming him for everything just because someone simply does not like him is pretty unreasonable.
It's hard to pass the ball to the centre's when you don't get the ball!
Do you honestly believe he goes looking for the ball, it's no different to when playing for Parramatta...... inside the 20m he's non existent.
Cheers,
Scott
Scott in the first 15-20 mins on 3 occasions moses calls for the ball inside the 20, the first two times cook looks at him but passes left, the third time instead of passing to moses who was calling for the ball cook passes short the yeo who was running a block play. Moses was calling for the ball but wasn't getting it.
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