'Sorry Gutho', Moses apologises.

This article in the Daily Telegraph today :

SORRY, GUTHO
MOSES REPENTANT AFTER BLASTING CAPTAIN

PARRAMATTA halfback Mitchell Moses apologised to skipper Clinton Gutherson after going overboard in an on-field spat during the Eels’ commanding 40-12 win over Wests Tigers at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday.
Fox Sports audio picked up Moses telling his captain “Gutho, quick Gutho, f... off” as the pair argued over whether to take a quick tap or shoot for goal late in the game.
They also exchanged words at halftime and during different stages of the game, but Moses had no issues with the reprimand he received.
“I thought he was trying to take a quick tap and I gave him a little bit of a spray and he goes ‘mate, don’t speak to me like that’,” Moses said.
“I realised what I did and said ‘sorry, mate’. We’re in the heat of the battle and Gutho knows I mean it in the best way possible.
“I love Gutho. He’s one of my best mates in the team. We are sweet.”
Coach Brad Arthur was not surprised to hear the pair had clashed.
“They are like that at training,’’ Arthur said. “They spray each other from the time they walk on the field to the time they get off.
“That’s fine as long as it’s all in good spirit. That’s the relationship they’ve got.”
Moses added: “When he speaks, everyone listens. Everyone in the team has so much respect for Gutho, including myself.
“If he gives you a spray it’s coming from a good place.”
Moses went from zero to hero in a stunning 15-minute transformation that blew away the Wests Tigers.
The Eels led by just eight at halftime but a Moses-inspired three-try blitz in the first 10 minutes of the second half set-up a resounding 40-12 victory.
From holding his head in his hands to holding it high as man-of-thematch, Moses scored a try and engineered two more early in the second half after earlier botching an easy four-pointer.
The No.7 swallowed a Gutherson grubber kick four minutes from halftime, diving over for what appeared a certain try and a 20-0 lead to the Eels.
But the bunker found the smallest of knock-ons and denied the try.
The Tigers made the most of the let-off, sweeping up the other end of the field to score through Jacob Liddle.
Just like that, a 20-point advantage was cut to a nervous eight-point lead and it was game back on.
Moses could have crawled into a hole but took it upon himself to make up for the embarrassing mistake.
It was his roof-high bomb just after the break that forced a dropped ball from Tigers fullback Daine Laurie, leaving Waqa Blake to pick up the scraps and score under the posts.
Moses did it all himself two minutes later, slicing through and outpacing the defence in a thrilling 65m run to the line.
As an encore, he produced two double pumps before sending Maika Sivo over in the corner and kicking the sideline conversion on 50 minutes. It swept Parramatta to an unassailable 32-6 lead – all three tries coming while Tigers forward Shawn Blore was in the sin bin for a professional foul. Moses finished with 20 points from a try and eight goals.
Eels forward Isaiah Papali’i finished the game in the sin bin after being reported for dropping a knee on Luciano Leilua.
HOW THE WEST WAS LOST
You have to go back to 2018, when Ivan Cleary was in charge, to find the last time the Tigers beat Parramatta.
Since that day, the Eels have won seven straight. The Tigers were all heart and determination but unforced errors, ill-discipline and a poor start to the second half cost them dearly.

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            • Agree. I'm not sure it's a problem.Yet. And like your point re the "honest relationship". You want a passionate half with killer instinct.

              Just something to keep an eye on. Obviously, we can't make a habit of all the players telling Gutho to f@#@ off in public, undermining his on-field decisions.

              Perhaps players just pass it off now. Perhaps, Moses and Gutho are becoming like husband and wife at times after being together for so long and being the top dogs. Sometimes there are power struggles and conflicting views admisdt the love.

    • Yes, it would seem that many on here that don't like this have had little to do with high powered sport. 

      This would happen more than anyone would realise, the emotional and public expletive of Moses was the difference here.

      This type of discussion is constantly happening (much less obviously) in cricket terms where changes in tactics and approaches to circumstances are always being debated.

      In this case Gutho would be conscious of his leadership being questioned publicly, not the actual idea being put forward. Likewise Moses is trying to steal the opportunity (for the team) and his emotions are imploring the case. 

      Gutho is saved any embarrassment by quietly disarming the situation.

      I watch body language in many circumstances, as a former bond trader reading nuances of posturing and positioning tells us a lot about the confidence of people's decisions and how committed they are to them.

      We should feel very comfortable that Moses and Guth's association are trusting and passionate and trying to read anymore into is just exacerbating any problems by drawing attention to it.

       

      • Fair points here, Poppa.

        It shows how passionate & committed Moses is. Which I love. There's a flip side, though.

        Consider Arthur's point - who is more directly involved in high powered sport than you or any of us, I dare say. He noted this kind of relationship doesn't always work. 

        Not all leaders can accept this and pass it off as casually as you.

        Would you accept if all our players swore at Gutho's onfield decisions constantly telling him to f### off all the time? 

        Also, bear in mind this isn't a one off passionate moment on-field. It's a regular thing on & off the field with these two. Again as Arthur pointed out. Sounds more habitual. Moses is also known to have a bit of a loose mouth in the past.

        Additionally, it's hard to ignore how critical the on-field captain and team dynamics is, especially as these two are some of our most senior and capped players. So, I'm interested in exploring it.

        Bottom line, their relationship seems to be working. At this point. It's ultimately, probably, a storm in a teacup. Most likely.

        Yet, I think it's something to keep an eye on.

        Quite often, small matters overconfidently passed off and assumed as irrelevant turn out to be symptoms of something far more critical than one ever imagined.

        • You prosecute a good case Hoe'y.... I don't believe we can watch or worry about it from our perspective.

          This is something inside the mechanism's of the side and club.

          I'm sure if it's an issue then BA would be conscious of same. These two seem to get on in many if not all circumstances we see after we win.

          Many of the great players will tell you they have not got on with team mates and still been part of very successful combinations. These teams tend to be winners and are part of a greater vision. We see that in the Storm side with the like of strong personalities,  Cam Smith, Cooper Cronk, Munster and Slater demonstrated this on many occasions.

          We are a team of players that do not have a "real" super star and are not yet winners.........they play as a team with determination and a desire to do well. It seems to me that many of our supporters look to our premier players to be something that realism says they are not. Hence the criticism they receive when we are perceived to do not so well.

          The reality is that this team are not yet winners..........of anything. 

          Only time will tell over a longer period if this changes.

          The winners in this side are obviously Guth and Moses because they believe they are.

          In a team of real premiership contenders a number of other players need to recognise they are too part of such a combination and therefore need to demonstrate the same passion.  Hopefully this is an example of them trying to show it.

          I don't think we have the answers yet.

          • A perspective from BA on some of the issues raised in this blog. The immediate question that arises is on-field leadership? Would those criticisms arise from BA  if say Cameron Smith was on the field?

             

             

            • Not sure the context of your question Tad i.e arises on field leadership.

              I assume you are not referring to Moses/Guth spat as BA dismissed that summarily. The thing that BA refers to specifically was the ball strip on Kafusi on the first set of them against 12 players and the 4th Tackle of their next set where Carty kicked without need. Both those decisions showed a lack of concentration which is why they have been dropped. BA repeatedly said "DUM"

              After listening to BA's pressor and now assessing their being dropped, I think it was a good piece of coaching in hammering that discipline home.

              Parra is a limited side because of the lack of x factor players, what BA is saying is that discipline has to be the greater strength we need to make up from that shortfall.

              If we make good decisions and limit our mistakes, then Parra will be able to compete against the higher rated sides, it is the one area that the coach can improve, he can't make them run faster or show skills they don't have....this is his differentiator.

              On field leadership had nothing to do with those errors and yes if Cameron Smith was on the field, he would have been pissed off just like BA was and assumingly Guth as well.

              • Poppa I  am basically referring to BA, s comments how we played for 30 minutes during the  game.. Some players needed to take some initiative to put some composure back into how we played. We have these lapses during the game and should have a strategy to  refocus with some way of managing our way out of it. Moses, Browns and Gutho job

                 

              • Poppa I think Cameron  Smith was good  at doing  composure resets  when they got a bit lost and sloppy. I think when we have these lapses that's where we need to go with set patterns to refocus 

                • Yes, I see what your saying Tad and your right, but Cameron Smith was not backward in giving a player a kick in the arse if needed.

                  All that said I am sure the problem is a case of them growing into that composure. The actions taken by BA in sacking two specific players is an example of him saying enough is enough!

                  On field leadership is always tricky because its hard to admonish them and then say now settle down. I think BA needs to have some codes worked out and they are delivered in the context. i.e. we just lost a player to the sin bin, remember our control mechanisms, likewise if the opposition do the same and we have the advantage.

  • Let's face it. If we lose, every armchair expert says the same shit. 
    Moses cant control a team.

    Moses cant direct his players. 

    Moses doesn't rise in the big games.

    he's nothing what sterlo was

    lets go for Reynolds / Johnson instead of Moses

    im my opinion, he has every right to blow up. Coz it always comes back to him. Never Gutho. 

     

     

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