Mitchell Moses lauds new Parramatta Eels halves coach Andrew Johns
It was only a one-hour session in preseason but it was enough to convince Mitchell Moses that rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns can rebuild his game into something new.
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Mitch Moses walked away from his first hour-long personal training session with Immortal Andrew Johns to declare: “He’s the best ever – he was the greatest.”
Johns was at the Eels’ training fields – Old Saleyards Reserve in North Parramatta – on Thursday to help tutor Eels halves Moses and young Dylan Brown.
And Moses is adamant Johns can help “take my game to the next level.”
Eels coach Brad Arthur said Johns was also there to guide his halves through the “pressure situations where we have to get better.”
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“I did some stuff with Joey at training. From just one session with him, I can just tell – he breaks your game down completely – all the fundamental stuff, the simple stuff, how to play to the line, things like that,” Moses said.
“It’s only been one session but I got a lot out of it so I can’t imagine what we’re going learn continuing on into the pre-season and then the season.
“You always want to take your game to the next level. The main reason we got him in was to better our spine. We need to be better and hopefully Joey can help us. Going off the last game last season (a 32-0 loss to Melbourne), I don’t think we were too good as a spine.
“It’s exciting – our whole spine will really like it. The things he is teaching you, you don’t really realise what you need to do. Any tips he can give me to help my game, I will definitely be listening.
“I looked up to Joey when I was a young kid so to be working with him now is unbelievable. He will be very good for us. He’s the best ever, he was the greatest.”
Arthur was another hugely impressed with John’s early contribution to Parramatta’s halves.
“He did an hour on Tuesday with a lot of the other boys and Mitch and Dylan did an hour with him,” Arthur said on Thursday.
“Joey has played the game at the highest level in pressure situations and that’s where we have to get better as a team. We had a lot of good games this year but failed to back it up the next week.
“Even if it’s just Joey talking to them – it’s not all about drills. What they should be looking for in those moments and trying to keep themselves and the rest of the team calm. Be content building pressure and not trying to pull the trigger all the time.
“If he can pass on all his insight to Mitch and Dylan, it will make us handle those big occasions better. Joey can make a difference, definitely. They have got to have the want and desire but they’re looking forward to it.”
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Moses enjoyed a stellar 2019 – many arguing it was his finest season. And the former Wests Tigers champion is slowly being earmarked for high rep honours, possibly even State of Origin.
“I’ve just got to play good footy for Parra. If I do that then all that other stuff sorts itself out. I don’t need to worry about that. That’s not on my mind at the moment,” Moses said.
“My full focus is Parra. We want to be a better team than we were last year. It was upsetting. We need to have a big start to the year and we can put ourselves in a good position to play semi-finals.”
Moses has returned fresh from an overseas holiday and is now ready to tear into off-season training.