By Adrian Proszenko and Zac Bailey
Mitchell Moses says he will fully support any decision Clint Gutherson makes on his future and is prepared to step up as captain if it turns out his long-time teammate has played his last game at Parramatta.
Moses will again wear the Australian No.7 jersey on Sunday in the Kangaroos’ Pacific Championships clash against New Zealand in Christchurch. The 30-year-old was given permission to break camp to be present for the birth of his second child during the week, but has returned in time to mark up against comeback counterpart Shaun Johnson.
Gutherson is contracted to the Eels for next season, but could be on the move after being granted permission to explore his options. St George Illawarra are the favourites for his signature should he depart early.
“I’ve had convos with Gutho, he’s one of my closest mates,” Moses told Nine News. “It’s a tough situation for him and Parramatta to be in. They need to do what’s best for them and he’s got to do what’s best for him.
“It’s a tough situation at the moment, and I’ve just let him know he’s got my full support, whatever he does. It would be tough for everyone [if he leaves]. That’s just football at the moment, it’s a tough sport. It’s pretty ruthless, but it is what it is.
“We’re getting older, we’re getting on, so if these things happen, you shouldn’t be blindsided. He’s a quality player and been so big for the club for so long. He’s not gone yet. Whatever decision he makes, he makes. He’s got my full support.”
Mitchell Moses during his Kangaroos debut against Tonga.Credit: NRL Photos
Junior Paulo has shared the captaincy responsibilities with Gutherson, but new coach Jason Ryles may be required to make a change to the leadership if the latter leaves. Asked if he would fill the captaincy responsibilities if required, Moses said: “Yeah, I think I would do that at any time.
“Even if Gutho is there and he went down, something like that, I’d be open to it. Gutho is our captain at the moment, so we’ll let Rylesy decide that.”
Paulo, speaking at the launch of the “Uncaged” – a fight night headlined by former UFC superstar Tyson Pedro and Kris Terzievski which will be shown live and exclusive for all Stan Sport subscribers on November 20 – said Gutherson would be a huge loss.
“Gutho is Gutho, you know what he brings to the club,” Paulo said.
“It’s not only what he does on the field but just having him around, he’s been the heartbeat of Parramatta for a while now.
“No matter what he’s doing, everything he does, whether it’s footy or not, he does everything at 100 miles an hour and just wants to win. That’ll be tough to cop if we lose someone like him.”
Ryles has already made an impression on Moses and Paulo since taking over from Brad Arthur.
“I’ve had a fair bit to do with him. I think the club is in a good spot for him to take it over,” Moses said. “What he’s trying to do, what he’s trying to implement into the squad and club is heading in the right direction.
“[It’s] just a different side of footy. I was just so used to what Brad was doing, he was so good for me and I probably wouldn’t be in this position right now if it wasn’t for Brad.
“He taught me so much about footy, about the halfback role, how to control a game, a lot of things I didn’t know. I came in so raw and he taught me all those things.
“Just having an extension of that when Ryles has come in and been in touch with me, it’s something that I’m excited for. I feel my game can grow a lot more with him being there.”
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