Andrew Johns criticises Origin selection of player he mentors

Blues legend Andrew ‘Joey’ Johns has criticised NSW’s choice of halfback for Origin III in an intriguing swipe at a player he mentors.

Andrew Johns wouldn't have picked Mitchell Moses to replace the injured Nathan Cleary as Blues halfback.

NRL legend Andrew Johns has made a bold statement ahead of the State of Origin finale, saying he wouldn’t have picked Parramatta’s Mitchell Moses to play halfback for the Blues.

On Sunday, the Eels halfback was named as Nathan Cleary’s replacement in the NSW No. 7 jersey for Game Three on 14 July.

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Jack Wighton was elevated from the bench to five-eighth to join Moses in the halves, with the untested pair given the task of filling the shoes left by Cleary and Jarome Luai, who have both suffered serious injuries.

Moses has had 14 try assists for Parramatta this season and is a major reason why they sit fourth on the NRL ladder.

But Blues legend Johns wouldn’t have picked Moses in the Blues side and believes the NSW team should have gone in a completely different direction in the halves.

“I would have gone with the Souths combination of Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker,” Johns told SEN radio.

“When you’ve got a combination there and put it into a side, it’s a lot less stressful preparation when trying to get tactics down.

“They (would have) brought their side’s tactics to the fore, and the combination between Walker and Latrell Mitchell would have been brilliant.”

Making the 47-year-old’s comments even more intriguing is the fact that he mentors Moses and Dylan Brown at Parramatta in a specialist coaching role.

However Johns, who played 23 games for NSW, believes Moses has earned his chance to pull on the Blues jersey.

Joey Johns mentors Mitchell Moses at Parramatta but wouldn’t have picked him to play Game Three of the State of Origin series. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett) NO ARCHIVING

“But, Mitchell Moses deserves his go, there’s no doubt about that,” he said.

The Newcastle Knights great warned blooding two players in the halves who haven’t played together could be risky if they lack chemistry.

“One of the interesting things is that Jack Wighton is a runner, he advances the ball nine times out of ten instead of pushing it towards the edge,” Johns said.

“The key to victory for New South Wales has been ball movement and pushing it to either side of the field.

“There will be a slight change of dynamic.”

Blues coach Brad Fittler has said he will be seeking out Johns’ advice to help the Origin debutant shine on the game’s biggest stage.

“Absolutely, and I’ve spoken to Joey a fair bit,” Fittler said.

“I always talk to him about Parramatta, Mitch and Dylan Brown, so I’ll be talking to Joey.”

Moses has revealed he shares a close relationship with Fittler, dating back their time together at the 2017 rugby league World Cup with Lebanon.

“He was massive for me then and massive for the team,” Moses told the Wide World of Sports.

“We had a whole heap of players that every day go to work and they’re all scaffolders and builders. They’ve got a lot of different personalities in that Lebanese side and to see what he did for that side was enormous.

“I definitely got a lot out of that and how he brought a team together in such a small amount of time.

“What he taught me in that little time I had with him was massive and you could see it in our footy that we were playing. I got along with him really well.

Fittler is confident Moses will perform for the Blues in Game Three.

“I’ve coached him before, and I’ve seen him in action,” he said.

“And what I saw was a quality player that can lead a team around.”

“He knows what is ahead of him, it isn’t going to be easy, and I feel like he is in a really good head space to take it on.”