Not for the first time, a bloke named Moses is looking to lead his people out of the wilderness.
Re-signed this year a contract worth $2.5 million, Parramatta halfback Mitchell Moses will take his Eels into the NRL playoffs in the best form of his career -- and with the Blue & Gold Army daring to dream of ending a premiership drought that stretches all the way back to 1986.
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Parra were never headed by the Titans. AAP Image/Dan Peled.Outstanding against the Gold Coast in a 36-12 victory, Moses played a key hand in five tries -- including three try assists -- while also booting six goals to continue what is now undoubtedly the best season of a career that has always promised plenty.
And, yes, the result comes with an asterisk.
Given it was, as we said above, against the Titans.
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But still, with Moses starring, the Eels have now won four straight and seven of their past eight -- with the only blemish being a rare blowout loss against the Manly Sea Eagles.
Which, of course, will do nothing to silence those critics who believe Parramatta are flat track bullies.
Specifically, that they play big against teams outside the top eight, yet wilt against the competition’s big guns.
And on that front, the Eels will have to wait a few weeks to prove that wrong.
But undoubtedly, they will get the chance.
Waqa Blake raced in for a double. AAP Image/Dan Peled.THE WHITE STUFF
Okay, so there’s probably a gag in Shaun Lane getting across the white stripe in this one.
But, geez, you have to praise the big unit too.
Only days after The Daily Telegraph revealed the NRL was investigating images of Lane holding a plastic bag containing a white substance -- taken during last year’s Mad Monday celebrations with his old club, Manly -- the towering backrower shrugged off the saga as easily as those five Titans defenders he carried across the tryline after 45 minutes.
And, unsurprisingly, after taking a Moses bomb.
Despite facing a fine believed to be around $20,000, Lane was one of several strong performers in a pack where fellow backrower Manu Ma’u also ran for 147m, offloaded five times and made two tackle breaks.
Can the Eels climb into the top four? AAP Image/Dan Peled.HOLY MOSES
Re-signing with the Eels at the start of the season, Moses has been quick to repay the faith in 2019.
Against Gold Coast, the Eels halfback kicked three times for tries, while also throwing key passes for two more.
For the first, after just 12 minutes, Moses bombed for makeshift winger Brad Takarangi who, out on the right edge, outleapt his rival and batted the ball back for -- gasp -- prop Daniel Alvaro.
And from there? Well, the Polar Bear not only took off at speed over the ensuring 15m, but threw a cheeky dummy before diving over under the posts for his first try of the season.
Then after 23 minutes, Moses produced a deft grubber for backrower Manu Ma’u to score.
Parra dominated from start to finish. AAP Image/Dan Peled.FIFO EELS
Parramatta coach Brad Arthur won big on his gamble to fly his side interstate on game day -- a move, you reckon, he will try again before the year is out.
In a bid to combat the Eels poor away record, Arthur had his players fly to the Gold Coast on game day, rather than 24 hours earlier as is usually the case.
Speaking on the Fox Sports coverage at halftime, with the Eels leading by just six, analyst Mark Gasnier revealed he had only once travelled away on game day, and “hated it”.
“I don’t want to jinx them,” Gasnier said of the Eels at halftime. “But I travelled the day of game once and hated it. I hated it.
“My body felt awful, I felt lethargic.”
For Parramatta, the gamble paid off big time.
PARRAMATTA 36 (W Blake 2 D Alvaro S Lane M Ma’u M Niukore tries M Moses 6 goals) bt GOLD COAST 12 (J Arthars B Kelly tries T Peachey 2 goals) at Cbus Super Stadium. Referee: Gavin Badger, Peter Gough. Crowd: 10,780
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