Canterbury’s Moses Mbye exploding into form after making switch to fullback
AFTER a couple of winters spent wandering among Canterbury’s halves jerseys, Moses Mbye is suddenly exploding into the form that once had him touted a future Queensland Origin star.
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FINALLY, Moses has emerged from the wilderness.
And, no, it hasn’t taken 40 years.
But in rugby league terms ... well, close enough.
For after a couple of winters spent wandering among Canterbury’s halves and hooker jerseys — a permanent position as tough to come by as points were for his backline — Moses Mbye is suddenly exploding into the form that once had him touted a future Queensland Origin star.
Wearing No. 1, Mbye looks home.
In every sense.
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Against Penrith at ANZ Stadium, the 24-year-old enjoying the type of performance that is two tries, eleven tackle busts, three line breaks and 116m of unpredictability.
Better, his Bulldogs won.
Officially off the nudie run.
Which is no small thing considering the way they were beaten by both Melbourne and Roosters in the opening fortnight — conceding 66 points while scoring only three times themselves.
Yet here was a night where Dave Klemmer made more ground (146m) than any other forward on the field.
And marquee buy Kieran Foran led
While as for centre Josh Morris ... well, he rewound the clock to those days when his tryscoring feats almost sent the TAB broke.
Or something like that.
But the biggest story? Mbye.
That Noosa Pirates product who, with seemingly every touch this year, is bringing the same excitement, the same anticipation, that was Andrew Symonds walking out to bat.
So you’re sitting in the lounge room and need a beer?
OK, get your kid to grab it.
Hell, even wait.
For something, you know, is coming.
And for proof, you only needed to look over the opening fortnight of the NRL season.
Where despite those consecutive losses, Mbye looked every inch a New Year story.
And so it was again last night.
Like with roughly 30 minutes gone in the opening half, when Mbye took a bomb deep inside his own end.
Then stepped two defenders.
Then took off upfield.
Away.
Better, he would finish what he started, too.
Before the set was out, Mbye pushing through the Panthers combination of Josh Mansour and James Maloney to score.
Which was his second.
The fullback doubling down on a play that, with only five minutes gone, saw him bob up in a backline sweep right, taking a pass from rookie No. 6 Jeremy Marshall-King before stepping inside Dean Whare to score.
Which is exactly the player he was always tipped to be.
A rising star who, after a couple of years being shifted around by now axed coach Des Hasler, and in a backline that couldn’t find points with two water diviners and a Sat Nav, is finally arrived.
Not only outstanding, but consistently outstanding.
Out of the wilderness.