The making of Mitch: How Moses became the man to give the NSW Blues hope

From his high school coach through to his long-time mentor at the Eels. The men who helped guide Mitch Moses’ career open up on the making of the NSW State of Origin star.

Mitchell Moses is about to play his fifth game for NSW, but this may be the most important.

Moses has been recalled with the State of Origin series on the line at the MCG in Melbourne, only a matter of weeks after making his return from a long-term foot injury.

With Nathan Cleary out of action and Nicho Hynes cast aside after defeat in Origin I, the Blues will head to Melbourne in Moses’ hands.

For all the talk about Latrell Mitchell over the past week, Moses is the most pivotal player in NSW as he prepares to slip into the sky blue No.7 jersey and take ownership of a side looking to avoid a third straight series defeat.

One of the first people Moses reached out to when he was informed of his recall was his long-time coach Brad Arthur, who recently parted ways with the Parramatta Eels.

Arthur insists the Moses who will arrive at the MCG next week is ready to own the big stage.

Mitchell Moses at the Tigers, Eels and now the Blues.

”He sent me a text the other night, which was nice of him,” Arthur said.

“I understand that players move on pretty quickly, but he text me when he found out about Origin the other day.

“It was a nice text, a thank you. And he asked me to keep it quiet because no one knew it at the time, so that made me feel a bit better that I’d helped him along his way.

“The fact that he hadn’t told many people and it wasn’t out in the public, but he wanted me to know and he trusted me to keep it quiet as well.’‘

As Moses prepares for one of the most important nights of his rugby league career, this is his story through the eyes of the coaches who have got him to this point.

“He was always very confident. Losing wasn’t in his vocabulary. It still isn’t. He doesn’t go into any game thinking he is going to lose.

— Tim White, Moses’ former coach and history teacher at Holy Cross College in Ryde and then with the NSW under 18 team.

“He was very much assertive, confident and a risk-taker as a player. I taught him when he was in year 10, but really started coaching him when he was 15, 16, 17 and 18.

“The funny thing about him was I had him in athletics as well. We put him and (former teammate turned Manly five-eighth) Luke Brooks in the relay team – he anchored the team.

“I forgot the time he ran, but he blew away the field. At that time I thought to myself, ‘You have everything you need’. At the same time people were criticising him because of his size.

“It never worried him because it always comes, eventually. He always went for tackles – he always put his body in front. His application was there.

Tim White, Moses’ former coach and history teacher at Holy Cross College. Picture: Tim Pascoe

“He was one of the most instinctive chasers of kicks. He and Luke would chip or grubber but they always seemed to be in the right place.
“He was always very confident. Losing wasn’t in his vocabulary. It still isn’t. He doesn’t go into any game thinking he is going to lose.

“I like to think I played a small part in that. He always tells people that ‘Whitey taught me to be competitive and stay in games’. I had (Nathan) Cleary as well in teams.

“I didn’t have to coach those kids – you just have to get their heads right. Mitchell at that schoolboy level was better than all of them.”

“I could only imagine this week at training – there wouldn’t be a louder voice. He is vocal and firm and knows what he wants.”

—Warrior coach Andrew Webster, who coached Moses at Wests Tigers in SG Ball, under 20s and in the NRL.

“Young and cocky. He was an outstanding skilful player, brave. He was especially fearless. He played whatever he saw. He was so skinny then, so skinny.
“But he still got himself in front (of attackers).

“He was the alpha in the group. He had this real leadership about him, socially as well with his mates. He was so unbelievably loyal to his best mates.

“We won the comp that year (in SG Ball). The connection he had with his mates was really cool. He was breaking in and out of first grade when I was coach (of the under 20s).

“It was hard to get Mitch to kick high and long to the corners because he just wanted to chip over the top, he wanted to play. That is what kids should do.

Andrew Webster (right) with Mitch Moses (left) during their time at the Wests Tigers in 2017. Picture: AAP

“The difference now is that he has real game management and he knows how to use other people around him for the benefit of the side.

“When it is time to take a risk or run the footy, he is way faster than you realise. He is lightning. When he is at his best Mitch, he is a threat while he is organising.

“I think the great ones are.

“I could only imagine this week at training – there wouldn’t be a louder voice.

“He is vocal and firm and knows what he wants. That is why there is never any doubt from his teammates about where they need to be and what they need to do.

“The talk and the being loud and letting everyone know and being firm with a plan, he has always had that. He is super talented – he can kick a ball that far, he can pass a ball a long way.

“He can do freakish things.

“At that level I tried every bit of my power to not harness him too much. He worked it out himself. You just have to put good things around those guys and they work it out themselves.”

“He’s the alpha-male in the team. His leadership has come a long way.”

— Arthur, who coached Moses for nearly a decade at the Eels

“If he didn’t get injured he would’ve been first choice (for NSW).

“Madge (Maguire) was always looking at him as the first priority to go with Cleary and I reckon he’s done enough to show that he should’ve been considered as the first option.

“He’s matured with his play over the entire 80-minutes.

“He’s lost a lot of the erraticness (sic) in his game, he once had. He’s still got the excitement to chance his hand, but he chooses the right moments.

Mitchell Moses and coach Brad Arthur chat ahead of the Newcastle Knight game in Round 9 2020. Picture: NRL Imagery

“His kicking game is unbelievable, and he’s tough.

“The thing about his defence that people don’t understand is that he makes the blokes outside him confident because he’s so fast that he can sit aggressively on the lead runner and make a strong tackle, but if they go out the back, he can adjust with his pace and cut down the fullback out the back.

“He puts a lot of confidence in the blokes outside him.

“He’s really matured. He’s so passionate, and in the past sometimes his passion and emotion has taken over his delivery of his voice.

“But having his partner Bree and a baby has helped him massively. He’s got a different set of motivations and why he’s doing things.

“His leadership qualities were missed the most in that seven week period (earlier this year), because holds those big fellas in the forwards accountable.

“He’s the alpha-male in the team. His leadership has come a long way.”

Originally published as The making of Mitch: How Moses became the man to give the NSW Blues hope