NRL fans and pundits are questioning whether it’s too late for the Blues to change halfbacks.
Nicho Hynes is facing immense pressure before State of Origin I even kicks off, with Mitchell Moses producing a masterclass in his NRL return for the Parramatta Eels on Thursday night. The Eels halfback set up two tries and produced a brilliant kicking game to help Parramatta beat the ladder-leading Sharks 34-22.
NSW coach Michael Maguire was reportedly keen to pick Moses for the Origin opener even though he’d been out for 10 weeks with a fractured foot, but ultimately Moses couldn’t prove his fitness in time. Maguire instead went with Hynes at halfback, and the Sharks star certainly deserved his selection.
But Moses’ performance on Thursday night will give NSW selectors plenty to ponder – especially if Hynes fails to fire and the Blues lose Game I. “He’s the complete package, Mitchell, his kicking game is extremely important to us,” interim Eels coach Trent Barrett said after the game.
“He’s probably one of the best kickers, if not the best kicker in the competition. The confidence they (Moses and Clint Gutherson) give us … that’s what they bring, and Gutho has come back early from injury, so it’s been a huge effort for him.”
Speaking in commentary for Channel 9, former Cronulla captain Paul Gallen was gobsmacked by Moses’ display after such a long layoff. “I go back to the very first kick of the game from Mitchell Moses – the way it came off the boot, the sound it made, how far it went,” Gallen remarked.
“I said ‘he’s on tonight’. I can’t believe the impact he’s had on this game. I did radio on the way out here and they asked me about him and I said Parramatta have been beaten through the middle, their forwards have been getting trounced week in, week out. Teams have been running through them.
“Mitchell Moses isn’t there to tackle or take hit ups. Well, didn’t he inspire them? I can’t believe the impact he’s had. I said earlier in the year I don’t know I would pay $1 million for Mitchell Moses but at this club he’s worth every cent.
“The confidence he gave everyone tonight was unbelievable. I honestly can’t believe the impact particularly on the forwards, the confidence and the kicking game was brilliant.”
NRL fans call for Mitchell Moses to play State of Origin
Speaking after the game, Moses said he hadn’t even started kicking the ball again until this week. “I tried two weeks earlier but it just didn’t pull up right,” he admitted. “I couldn’t go out on the field and let the boys down. I tried to come back early enough, I gave it every chance and tried my best but it didn’t come up right.”
Moses’ performance on Thursday night had pundits and fans questioning whether it’s too late for him to be parachuted into the NSW team for Origin I on Wednesday night. Hynes is under an injury cloud with a dodgy calf, but trained strongly on Thursday in NSW camp.
And with Luke Keary and Matt Burton already in camp it’s doubtful that Maguire would turn to Moses if Hynes happened to be ruled out. But plenty were left wondering what the Blues team would look like if Moses had been able to return just one week earlier.
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