Parramatta captain Mitchell Moses has had “every scan under the sun” on a foot injury that kept him out of the game for two months last year, but Eels coach Jason Ryles is confident his star half will be right to play in round one of the NRL season.
Ryles revealed the full extent of the Moses injury saga following the 30-18 trial loss to Wests Tigers on Friday night.
In-demand halves partner Dylan Brown also failed to feature in the club’s final pre-season hit-out at Leichhardt Oval because he was performing best man duties at his brother’s wedding on New Zealand’s Waiheke Island, which had been flagged with the Eels months in advance.
Ryles would love nothing more than to start his NRL coaching career with a win against his old club Melbourne at AAMI Park on Sunday week, but will now do so with Moses having spent no time on the field during the Pre-Season Challenge.
“Mitch had a bit of soreness with his foot around the screw,” Ryles said. “We’ve had every scan under the sun. He had a really good running session Friday to build him back up for round one.
“Because of where we were in the pre-season, we didn’t want to push him through whatever he didn’t need to. But he’s all clear, he’s happy and he’s training – we expect him to play round one.
Mitchell Moses scores against the Knights in 2024 following his recovery from a foot injury.Credit: Getty Images
“This year he’s probably done the most training he’s done for a long time, and that probably caught up with him the past few weeks.
“If we’re playing NRL games, we’re playing him. It’s a matter of being smart about it while we can be smart about it.”
There will be plenty of interest in Moses’ left foot in the countdown to Parramatta’s road trip to the Victorian capital on March 9, but an even bigger talking point will be what Brown does next with his career.
Dylan Brown has a big decision to make before round 10.Credit: Getty Images
The New Zealand international has until round 10 to activate a get-out clause in his contract, which would allow him to pursue bigger-money offers elsewhere. News Limited reported during the week that Brown’s management had spoken with three rival clubs about deals that spanned up to 10 years and were worth $11 million.
Brown will earn $1.1 million a season on his current Eels deal from next year until 2031. Despite the apparent interest from rival clubs, Brown failed to feature in a list of the game’s top 50 players as voted by experts from the Sydney Morning Herald and Wide World of Sports, including immortal Andrew Johns and Queensland legend Darren Lockyer.
Ryles was diplomatic when asked about the Brown contract situation last weekend, but after another week of headlines, the coach said he would like an answer to bring an end to the media speculation.
“We’ll support Dylan 100 per cent, whichever direction he goes, [but] obviously [a decision] sooner rather than later would be nice,” Ryles said.
“It is important he gets this decision right because it’s an important one for him.
“We’re pretty clear on our position. The club has shown a lot of faith in him offering him a nine-year deal. We’re in the midst of that at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Josh Addo-Carr made his first official appearance in the blue and gold when he played the final 20 minutes against the Tigers on Friday.
Addo-Carr is suspended until round three, but Ryles had nothing but praise for the international flyer and the positive influence he has had on the younger backs.
