Mitchell Moses ready to lead Wests Tigers against a Hayne-inspired Gold Coast

FIRST he got the better of future Immortal Johnathan Thurston, now Mitchell Moses is tasked with bringing Jarryd Hayne back down to Earth.

FIRST he got the better of future Immortal Johnathan Thurston, now Mitchell Moses is tasked with grounding the Hayne Plane.

In what is shaping as a huge six days for the in-form Wests Tigers five-eighth, Moses will line up opposite Hayne in the No. 6 jumper for the Gold Coast.

The ninth-placed Tigers have 24 competition points heading into round 23 and are only outside of a finals place on points differential.

Hayne’s Titans are a point behind the Tigers and a loss for either side will put enormous pressure on them to reach the finals.

The Tigers have won their past three matches on the back of Moses, who has taken his game to the next level since halfback Luke Brooks was injured and Robbie Farah was dumped to reserve grade.

The 21-year-old revealed coach Jason Taylor had given him four simple words of encouragement: “This is your team.’’

“I’ve been working closely with JT and he’s been massive for my game,’’ Moses said of Taylor.

“He said, ‘this is your team’. There’s been a focus on controlling the game, seeing where the opposition comes off their line and where we turn over the ball.

“JT has told me when to play, to get a feel a for the game at the start, to see where a side is feeling weak, just reading the game a lot more.

“I’ve put a lot of emphasis on my last-tackle options, and I’ve also been taking on the line a bit.’’

The raps on Moses and Brooks have been around for the best part of 18 months. Moses had a blinder at Campbelltown in round one while Brooks was suspended, but it’s only been the past month he’s truly excelled.

It’s the type of form that justifies talk of Moses being a future Origin five-eighth.

Moses denied Farah’s first-grade exile wasn’t the reason for his ascension.

“I feel like I’ve had to take more ownership on games, and when you have a big leader like Robbie missing, I have to take more on, and I feel I’ve done that,’’ Moses said.

Indeed, Thurston had no answers for Moses as they slugged it out at Leichhardt Oval last Sunday on the same side of the field.

Moses grew up supporting Parramatta and on Saturday faces former Eels star Hayne, who will also play on the left after being named at five-eighth rather than fullback.

The Tigers face another finals-chasing side on Friday week in Penrith, where Moses will come up against young Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary.

Tigers skipper Aaron Woods said Moses’ defence had been arguably more impressive than his attack.

“He’s a competitor, he hates losing. He’s only a midget, but he puts his body on the line,’’ Woods said.

“He’s also not getting down on the field like he used to, and he’s maturing as a person.’’

Tedesco said Moses’ past month had been outstanding, especially his running and kicking games.