Mitchell Moses Faces Race Against Time for State of Origin
Parramatta has no concerns regarding the management of Mitchell Moses’s fitness within the NSW set-up, as the Eels captain is now in a race against time to be fit for game two of the State of Origin series. Moses was initially named to start at five-eighth in Origin I but suffered a hamstring issue after the Blues’ penultimate training session and was replaced by Ethan Strange.
Strange made an impressive debut in the series, contributing to NSW’s 22-20 victory over Queensland in Sydney on Wednesday. This win gave the Blues a 1-0 lead in the series.
Moses will not feature for Parramatta against Newcastle on Saturday, but Eels coach Jason Ryles remains optimistic that his star playmaker could return for the team’s match against Canterbury the following Monday.
Blues coach Laurie Daley is set to announce his team for game two in Melbourne on June 17, following Parramatta’s clash with the Bulldogs. Daley has indicated he plans to include Moses in the squad if possible. However, if Moses is unable to play for the Eels, Daley may need to reconsider his selection.
“It’s quite minor actually … I don’t think it’ll be too long so we’ll just see how he progresses this week with his rehab,” Ryles said on Friday. “(He could play against the Bulldogs) at a pinch. I’m not sure what Loz has in mind … that’s up to Laurie. Whatever they decide to do, there’s some good options there obviously, Mitchell and Nathan (Cleary) are two elite halves and the young kid Strange did really well so it’s a good problem to have.”
This marks the second consecutive season where Moses has entered the Blues camp only to be ruled out due to a soft-tissue injury. However, Ryles believes the situation is purely coincidental.
“I’d rather have Origin players and have that problem, so it’s got nothing to do with what they’re doing in camp,” Ryles said. “We get a lot of feedback on what they do and the GPS, and that type of thing and there was nothing, it was just bad luck.”
In addition to Moses, Ryles faces further challenges with nine players sidelined. Jonah Pezet is out for the next month due to a hamstring issue, while prop Junior Paulo has undergone knee surgery and is expected to return later in the year. Jack Williams will take on the role of captain for the Eels’ upcoming match against the Knights.
“Junior has been playing with a meniscus tear for eight or 10 weeks so to get as far as he did was quite admirable,” Ryles said.
The 14th-placed Eels have struggled defensively this season, conceding 379 points through the first 11 rounds. This represents the worst defensive record of any side at this stage of the season since the 2002 North Queensland Cowboys.
