A hush fell over the crowd at BlueBet Stadium as Parramatta Eels star Mitchell Moses came off worse for wear when attempting to tackle Penrith Panthers forward Viliame Kikau.
Midway through the second half, the Panthers were moving the ball on their left side and Kikau looked to make a strong run to break the Eels’ line.
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Moses, who had been making several tackles all night, made the brave call to go down low in an attempt to bring Kikau to the ground.
However, the Eels half-back’s head smacked against Kikau’s hip and was immediately knocked unconscious.
It made for painful viewing, as Fox League commentator Andrew Voss was extremely concerned.
“Oh no, oh no,” Voss said.
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“Moses put his body on the line, he made the tackle, and he is concussed at the same time.”
Fellow commentator Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach felt “that could be the game for Parra” given Moses’ vital importance to his team.
Voss added: “59th minute, Moses in all sorts of strife for Parra. He got his head down so low there. He was almost face down to the ground when he made the tackle. This is a big moment, a sad moment to see the Parramatta No. 7 on the ground.”
Players from both sides immediately rushed over to make sure Moses was OK, with the trainers not far behind.
Eventually he made his way from the field to a round of applause from the crowd, although his evening was done.
Voss said: “It’s encouraging at the very least to see him up on his feet. It’s his own courage that has put him in the line of fire with Kikau running at him all night.”
