If there ever was a time for Mitchell Moses to stand up it was on Saturday night against the Raiders.
Parramatta were coming off their first loss of the season at the hands of the Dragons and with Dylan Brown sidelined through suspension they really had their work cut out for them.
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But Moses not only delivered he “set a new standard” according to Cooper Cronk.
The game was neck-and-neck until the 55th minute when Shaun Lane crossed to give his team a 22-10 lead, the biggest of the night thus far.
But it was halfback Mitchell Moses’ touches in the lead up that were most impressive.
Moses threw a pass out to his left centre Tom Opacic who offloaded to Clint Gutherson. The skipper passed to Moses and silky No.7 broke through and stepped Hudson Young and Jarrod Croker. He passed to Will Smith, ran around the other side of him and received the ball again before finally sending Lane through a gap to score.
“There might be two Mitchell Moses’ out there. He was everywhere,” Voss said.
“Three touches in the one play by the Parramatta halfback over an area of some 60 metres.”
Greg Alexander called it an “incredible try” and was most impressed with Moses’ step on Young.
“There was a few huge moments in that passage of play from the Eels… that’s an incredible try. Moses everywhere during that movement,” he said.
“All the key men involved. Gutherson had a nice pass to Moses but it was the step he put on Hudson Young.”
Moses then nailed the sideline conversion after already kicking an earlier one from out wide.
“He’s having a good night. The first kick of the night from the sideline was an indicator for the Parramatta No.7 to be on song in many areas of his game this evening,” Voss said.
Just 10 minutes later a Moses bomb leads to Reed Mahoney’s try under the posts.
“What a first class kicking game it’s been from Mitchell Moses. It has been an exhibition… Mitch Moses has controlled things off his boot tonight,” Alexander said.
And it gets better. With just over three minutes left on the clock, Moses kicked a field goal.
“He now has done everything tonight off his boot. He’s got it right all night,” Alexander said.
Cronk praised Moses for stepping up and taking control of his team. He said it’s one of the best game’s he’s seen the 26-year-old play.
“That is the new standard of Mitchell Moses,” he said.
“A beautiful kicking game, he pulled the trigger when he needed to and that was a class performance from the No.7.
“With no Dylan Brown, everything responsibility-wise fell on him and I think he dominated. He had one of the best games I’ve seen him in a Parramatta jersey.”
ARTHUR’S SELECTION DILEMMA
Ryan Matterson’s delayed return from a head knock has exposed a “good problem” for Eels coach Brad Arthur.
Matterson is still recovering from a concussion suffered in Round 2. Unfortunately he’s had some ongoing symptoms which have forced him to watch on from the sidelines.
Isaiah Papli’i is the man who has stepped into Matterson’s place and it’s safe to say he’s done more than just fill his shoes.
The 22-year-old joined the Eels this year after four seasons with the Warriors and Fox League analyst Greg Alexander has dubbed him “one of the best signings this season” thanks to his impressive start to 2021.
Papali’i scored the opening try in Parramatta’s win over Canberra on Saturday. In fact, he’s scored a try in the last three games. Just in these first six games he’s already match his try-scoring record of three in a season – a stat he achieved over 20 games in 2018.
If he continues this red-hot form he’ll quadruple it.
Fox League commentator was in awe of Papali’i when he ran over the top of his namesake and Raiders star Josh Papalii – the man considered by many as the best forward in the game – to score.
“What a signing he has been for them. I thought the other Papali’i was meant to be the star of the show… that is some moment, over the top of Josh Papalii,” he said.
“Papali'i has been one of the best signings this season. Fills in for Ryan Matterson again and gets the job done,” Alexander added.
The New Zealand and Samoan international has been so impressive in the starting role that Voss believes Eels coach Brad Arthur now has a big decision to make once Matterson is cleared to return.
“He’s just been so good for them… He’s been one heck of a pick up,” he said.
“It’s actually very hard because you want your back-rowers to play 80 minutes and Matterson was an 80 minute player.
“But Papali’i is just going so well that you want him to play a minimum 50 minutes every week because there’s quality in his work as well.
“It’s a good problem to have.”
Papali’i backed up his opening try with a second four-pointer, the first points of the second half as well.
Voss echoed his earlier comments on Arthur’s selection dilemma.
“Now he’s going so well, you’ll have to take your pick on who you’re going to drop. When Ryan Matterson’s fit, this guy cannot be left out of the starting 13 for Parramatta,” he said.
“He’s one of the form back-rowers in the competition.”
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RICKY ADMITS BENCH ‘STUFF UP’
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has been forced into rethinking the make-up of his bench after he lost yet another outside back in Saturday’s loss to the Eels.
Winger Bailey Simonsson left the field for a HIA in the 50th minute and was ruled out for the remainder of the match.
Elliott Whitehead moved into the centres, pushing Curtis Scott out to the wing.
Stuart carried a forwards-only bench in Sia Soliola, Emre Guler, Siliva Havili and hooker Tom Starling. But Starling didn’t come onto the field until 20 minutes to go.
It’s no new dilemma for Stuart though. Last week he lost fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad in the 23rd minute and two weeks before that Sebastian Kris left the field in the 12th minute. Both incidents caused a reshuffle to his backline with Whitehead – an edge forward – playing in the centres.
Stuart admitted after the game that he was “stuffed up” not having an outside back on his bench and declared that he won’t be making that mistake again.
“I’m disappointed in myself in regards to not having Seb Kris on the bench tonight. I stuffed up, we should have learnt from last week,” he said.
“I’ve been carrying Tommy because I wanted to get Tommy on the field at some stage for different types of reasons but Seb Kris will be in the 17 next week somewhere whether it be starting centre on the bench, it’ll be somewhere.”
