Mitchell Moses wishes you could put an old head on young shoulders.
That there was a way he could go back in time and talk to the younger version of himself – the cocksure kid just making his way into the NRL, who thought he already knew it all.
“Exactly, I wish I could,” he said. “I wish I could have matured a bit earlier in my career. It is what it is, I had to adapt on the run.”
Moses is now at the peak of his powers. There is a maturity that comes with turning 30, from being a father of two, and being the captain and halfback of Parramatta. The present-day Moses still has the speed of the young punk who burst onto the NRL scene with Wests Tigers, but now also possesses the street smarts learned over 231 first-grade matches – to the point where the game starts to, figuratively, slow down when split-second decisions are required.
So what wisdom would old Mitch impart to young Mitch?
“Probably to put more time into my game,” said Moses, who makes his return from a calf injury for Parramatta in Friday’s clash with Brisbane.
Mitchell Moses is back for Parramatta this weekend.Credit: Getty Images
“I put a lot of time into my game as a young kid, and I feel like once I got there – it’s not that I stopped working or anything like that – it’s just to keep going with the work ethic that I have now rather than what I did coming into first grade.
“Legit, I feel like I’ve played in two different decades.”
Perhaps even two careers?
“I feel like that,” Moses said. “When I first came in, training was a lot different – you were in and out. There were a lot more days off; how you prepped for games was a lot different from how I’m prepping now; how many days off, how long they are, how professional it is with nutrition and everything like that.
“I feel like I’ve played two different careers. I’ve had to adapt on the run. I wish I knew what I know now back then.”
A young Moses in action for Wests Tigers.Credit: Brendan Esposito
While injury has restricted Moses to just six NRL appearances this season, the silver lining is the knowledge he has been able to gain. There has been the chance to learn from new Parramatta coach Jason Ryles, to study Nathan Cleary up close after playing alongside the Panthers No.7 for the first time in the State of Origin opener, and the time to work on other aspects of his game.
“I probably thought I knew everything at this age,” he said. “You come in and it’s a big shock to see that you actually don’t, and there’s a lot more growth in my footy.
“I’ve learnt so much with Rylesy and the other coaches who have come in this year. I’ve learnt a lot about my footy, a lot about myself off the field, on the field.
“I feel like I’ve played two different careers. I’ve had to adapt on the run. I wish I knew what I know now back then.”
Mitchell Moses
“The way the game is now, you need to be professional. If you’re not professional and you’re not looking after yourself, you get left behind.”
When he has not been able to take the field, Moses has found himself in the coach’s box on game days. Perhaps a pointer to a potential post-playing career?
“I love the game and I could definitely see myself in a role,” Moses said. “It excites me, the thought of being able to coach, but I have to worry about that later. I definitely could do it, I just don’t know.
“I’ve seen what it has done to some people, some former coaches that I’ve had and how it’s been, so I’m not too sure if I want to step into it and be like that.”
If he could do it all again, Moses reckons he “wouldn’t change much.”
“I haven’t really had any bad headlines or anything like that,” he said.
However, it’s only now that he has come to understand how much his demeanour can affect his teammates.
“I don’t know how to say it – I’m very animated on the field,” he said. “I get a bit frantic. Just having a calm head has a beneficial effect on my teammates. That just comes with knowing myself better and playing a few more games.”
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