Weekend Read: Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers’ futures hang on Mitchell Moses’ contract decision
The free agency uncertainty surrounding Mitchell Moses looks set to drag on towards the start of the NRL season, BRENT READ reveals exactly what is at stake.
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Mitchell Moses cracked a joke with Clint Gutherson, dutifully struck a pose for the cameras and charmed his way through media interviews this week.
Questions about his future were politely batted away with little indication of which way he was leaning. Talk to those in clubland and one minute the Wests Tigers are flushed with confidence. The next their chase of Moses hangs in the balance.
The same goes for Parramatta. Club insiders feared a fortnight ago that Moses was gone.
This week, confidence is rising that they have done enough to keep him.
Meanwhile, Moses keeps everyone guessing and two clubs wait patiently by the phone.
The pursuit of Moses has been one of the subplots of the summer and the intrigue looks set to continue right up until round one.
Canterbury were in, then out. Some suggested this week they haven’t completely removed themselves from the equation.
The fact is you just never know with Phil Gould.
The Bulldogs head of football is happy to throw a dummy when it suits his agenda.
The Tigers, on the other hand, are an open book. Their interest has never waned.
They want their prodigal son back and are willing to break the bank to do it.
Moses left a bad taste behind then he left the club six years ago but all is forgiven.
Time – and desperation – have healed those gaping wounds.
Talk of $1.4m a season hasn’t exactly been dismissed. It’s mouth-watering money.
The sort of pay packet that can set up a bloke and his young family for life.
Moses would be a statement signing. For all their smart recruitment in recent months, the Eels No.7 would be a genuine sign that the Tigers are ready to take on the NRL’s big hitters.
Moses and Brooks in the halves, Api Koroisau at hooker and Adam Doueihi at fullback.
Sounds like a team capable of causing a few ructions. Maybe even leading the Tigers back to the promised land.
As for Parramatta, losing Moses would be a setback of seismic proportions. He can be a polarising figure – few players in the game extract as much emotion from fans – but he is also a winner and one of the elite No.7s in the NRL. Jake Arthur has promise but he is a long way off delivering what Moses can. The Eels could head to market but there are few halfbacks of Moses’ ilk up for grabs in the next year or two.
Nathan Cleary is tied down for five years. Jahrome Hughes has been locked in by Melbourne. Nicho Hynes has one outstanding year at Cronulla, won a Dally M, but isn’t in Moses class yet. Sam Walker and Lachlan Ilias represent a risk.
They clearly have ability but are yet to fully convince. The pickings are slim beyond that given Daly Cherry-Evans, Adam Reynolds and Ben Hunt are coming to the end of their glittering careers.
The Eels can’t afford to lose Moses, which explains why they are nervously sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting for the hammer to drop. It’s the sort of decision that can set a club up or set it back for years.
The old saying is that halfbacks decide the result and Moses has done exactly that in recent seasons. At the age of 28, he is entering his prime. He led the NRL in try assists last season.
Throw in his kicking – he forced 21 dropouts and kicked goals at nearly 80 per cent – and his value speaks for itself.
Meanwhile, Moses goes about his business quietly with a minimum of fuss. He seems unaffected by the speculation. Nor should he be.
There’s a scene in the movie Jerry Maguire when Tom Cruise is telling young quarterback Frank Cushman that he is set to be drafted by either San Diego or Denver. Cushman smiles and says: “Hell, I either surf or ski, I don’t care.”
Moses can’t lose either. Whether he goes or stays, he becomes a wealthy young man with his best years in front of him.
He has returned from a summer holiday in the best shape of his career. There is a quiet determination about the year ahead.
The grand final loss to the Panthers hurt and he is intent on atoning for that defeat.
It seems a long way off but October will be here before you know it.
By then, one club’s heart will already be broken.
SAINTS COME MARCHING IN
St Helens have arrived in town and set up shop on Sydney’s northern beaches. Head down to Manly and don’t be surprised if you see Saints players enjoying the sunshine.
A few of them might find it hard to leave. Saints chief executive Mike Rush is a smart operator. He has tied down their biggest names to long-term deals, keeping NRL clubs at bay.
He won’t be able to keep them away forever. Fullback Jack Welsby was a star for England at the World Cup and already on the radar of NRL clubs.
Halfback Lewis Dodd would likely have been part of the English squad as well only for injury to rob him of the opportunity. Again, smart judges say he could cut it in the NRL.
Back rowers Morgan Knowles and Matty Lees have also captured the attention of NRL scouts. Keep an eye on them over the next fortnight.
Super League is an infinitely inferior competition to the NRL but their clubs keep churning out players, and those players eventually want to test themselves against the best.
So don’t be surprised to see some of the Saints stars in the NRL in years to come.
Originally published as Weekend Read: Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers’ futures hang on Mitchell Moses’ contract decision
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