Mitchell Moses is running and jumping and punching the air like it’s a piñata with a NSW No.7 jersey inside. He’s alone, but that’s when you know he’s on. He’s different, but different is what Brad Fittler needs right now.
The Bulldogs supporters are giving it to Moses, and he’s giving it to Tevita Pangai jnr, who’s on a one-man mission to take out the Eels’ best player – and lose his Blues jumper at the same time. Mission (maybe) accomplished. Who knew Fittler would solve a couple of selection dilemmas within a couple of minutes.
The first time Moses makes Pangai jnr look like a misguided schoolyard bully is when Pangai jnr thinks he’s doing the right thing, chasing Moses like he’s burst out of the boxes in the red rug at Wentworth Park dogs, and the Parramatta No.7 jumper is the lure. But Moses is no bunny.
Sensing Pangai jnr has burst too quickly from the inside, Moses just directs his captain Clint Gutherson back to the inside and the fullback races over to score. Pangai jnr is on his haunches and knows he’s been fooled, Moses pirouetting through the air and letting everyone know about it too, while his teammates rush to mob Gutherson.
The next set? Pangai jnr again chases Moses hard from the inside, only this time he steps him off the right, bursts downfield and sets up Gutherson for his third first-half try on the King’s Birthday. But there’s only one coronation waiting – and it’s not for the man they call King Gutho.
So, can Moses lead NSW into Queensland’s holy land? On this evidence, Parramatta’s 34-12 drubbing of Canterbury at Accor Stadium on Monday, why not?
Mitchell Moses makes a break against the Bulldogs.Credit: Getty
Messrs Fittler and Greg Alexander will make their intentions official on Tuesday morning, and there’s a special place to be written in history for a NSW halfback who can save the series at Suncorp Stadium. Because as we’ve seen so many times before, it ain’t a role that has a long and proud history of success in The Cauldron.
Sporting a cut just below his eye, Moses needed mid-game treatment to stem the bleeding and looked every bit the Origin player the Blues crave without the injured Nathan Cleary. The Bulldogs are not Queensland, but who is right now?
Even without his halves partner Dylan Brown, who was stood down under the NRL’s no-fault stand-down policy as he faces police charges of sexual touching without consent, Moses and the Eels still had far too many guns for a Bulldogs side fast slipping out of finals contention.
Moses twice set up Gutherson in the first half, tried a cheeky field goal before the break and still had time to charge down Matt Burton’s kick inside the Bulldogs’ 20 metres on a scrum play, only to be called back because he was five metres offside.
The only downside for Brad Arthur was Maika Sivo being put on report for a raised forearm while carrying the ball which appeared to catch Bulldogs opposite Jacob Kiraz in the throat.
Reagan Campbell-Gillard made his return from a groin problem and the Eels are suddenly only one point outside the top eight after a sluggish start to the year.
Centres Bailey Simonsson and Will Penisini backed up Gutherson’s three tries inside 25 minutes to put the result beyond doubt, and only a little cameo from Khaled Rajab off the bench would have brought a smile to Cameron Ciraldo’s face.
But as for Moses and for the NSW No.7 thing?
With eight minutes to go and the result sealed, he chased a runaway Jacob Preston and dragged him down by the bootlaces. Origin play.
With four minutes to go, he stood over his kicking tee and argued with referee Liam Kennedy about why the bunker was about to rub out Sivo’s second try for obstruction, even when it was only scoreboard semantics. Origin player.
Maybe, just maybe, different is what Fittler needs.
PARRAMATTA EELS 34 (Clint Gutherson 3, Bailey Simonsson, Will Penisini, Maika Sivo tries; Mitchell Moses 5 goals) defeated CANTERBURY BULLDOGS 12 (Matt Burton, Hayze Perham tries; Burton 2 goals) at Accor Stadium. Referee: Liam Kennedy. Crowd: 33,866.
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