Mitchell Moses reveals the toll Parramatta’s season from hell has taken
A CANDID Mitchell Moses has revealed Parramatta’s dire season left him feeling “over footy” but has credited the man known as the “football whisperer” for helping him get through the dark days.
Eels
Don't miss out on the headlines from Eels. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A YEAR is a long time in the NRL. Just ask Mitchell Moses.
In a candid interview, the star playmaker says watching Parramatta’s season dissipate before his eyes left him disillusioned with rugby league.
“There’s been times when I’ve been completely over footy,” Moses told The Saturday Telegraph.
To the point where he couldn’t even bring himself to watch it on the weekends.
LISTEN! Nick Campton and Tim Williams assess whether or not the premiership has become a two-horse race and preview all the action for Round 21.
Subscribe to the League Central podcast on iTunes
In a stunning turn of fortune, the halfback has gone from helping the Eels to a finals berth in 2017 to staring at a wooden spoon.
“I love watching footy and I haven’t watched much this year at all just purely for the fact that it’s taken a lot out of me,” he said
CHARACTER: NRL losing one of the good ones
FLYER: Parramatta sign the next Radradra
“I tried to watch every single game but this year has taken a fair bit out of me.
“I will be watching the semi-finals.”
At 23, Moses is no stranger to the emotional adversity the modern day player has to endure. He’s already played 100 games for two clubs under five different coaches — four of which were during his time at the Tigers.
Then there was the very public contract negotiations which culminated in him joining the Eels mid-season in 2017.
So the Holy Cross Rhinos junior has turned to the man known as the ‘football whisperer’ Joe Wehbe, who has been helping Moses navigate through a difficult year.
“I do a lot of stuff with Joe Wehbe. I try to see him every week,” he said.
“But he’s helped me there (when I've been over footy); helped me stay at it.
“It’s obviously been a tough year and I’ve always leaned on him with how I go about myself.
“He’s not only there to help me on the field, he helps me off the field big time.
“I definitely feel like the last couple of weeks I’ve been doing a lot of stuff with him and I feel like I am getting back to the form I was in last year.
“He’s been a big impact on me and not football but just life really with him. I can go and see him about anything.
“That’s why I’m lucky to have a person like him, he’s helped me massively this year.”
But Moses refuses to let the hardships dent his confidence or determination and says it’s only helping to build the kind of resilience needed to succeed.
“I’ve been through a fair bit of it at the Tigers. But this year was a bit different as we had the team to perform and we didn’t do that,” he said.
“What I’ve learned out of it is hopefully that all this helps me towards the end of my career. I’ve got all this bad stuff at the moment, early on in my career, hopefully I have a good end to my career.”
Moses revealed instead of burying the demons of Parramatta’s dire year, he was going to use the “hurt” as motivation to find another gear come season 2019.
“I don’t want to forget about this year either, I want to remember how much it hurt and take in to next year and I think that’s going to be a big driving factor for us.”