News NRL 2023: Speculation growing Mitch Moses could leave Parramatta, sign with Tigers or Bulldogs

[Philistine]

In my post I was talking about 2004 Thurston vs 2020 Burton. Thurston played a handful of first grade games that year mainly when Anasta was injured. He only played in the GF from the bench because captain Price was out injured.
Are you seriously suggesting that Thurston was a superstar in 2004? If so using what criteria?

You are correct that Thurston wasn't a superstar in 2004, but the signs were all there for anyone except Bulldogs coaching staff to see.

My friends son played in the lower grades in 2003 and I got to see Thurston going around for reggies, which he absolutely dominated. He was more than OK when he got into first grade, but we were a bit disappointed that he didn't immediately carry his reserve grade form over. He was still learning his craft though, and you could see the improvement week by week. He actually scored about a dozen tries in 2004 (among other things) in limited appearances.

 

[Como Dog]

imo he goes missing in all the big games, not worth $1 mil

He's the best available ATM though and even if he were to have a somewhat quiet grand final, he'd still be able to get us there in the first place with consistent games during the season. I'd also be hopeful/confident Mahoney and Burton would lift on the day and give us a great shot at winning a grand final, even if Moses was targeted and quiet as a result.

 

[OldDogFan]

Moses doesn't have the DNA it's that simple.

Move on from the prima donna halfback.

People need to stop talking about the Dogs DNA. That belonged to an era when tough, hard, gritty rugby league was the norm and brutal defence won grand finals. This team need to build their own trademark and bring the Dogs into a new era. The game has changed.....(unfortunately).

 

[capt obvious]

he is a hindy and paid overs
PS im mates with hindy, deserved a premiership

Had to the opportunity to win one at another club, but took the bling over the ring!

 

[Como Dog]

Flanno is a waste of cap space. The only positive for Moses is that he is a better HB than Flanno but so is every other starting HB in the NRL. Moses will take up more than double the cap space of Flanno and he won't deliver the Dogs a GF while Cleary, DCE, Hughes and Walker are healthy and still playing.

And out of that list who is available?

 

[The_Chimpster]

he is a hindy and paid overs
PS im mates with hindy, deserved a premiership

Pity he played for the wrong team his entire career.

We saw his bike rack more times than he saw finals footy

 

[Harry Oz]

He's the best available ATM though and even if he were to have a somewhat quiet grand final, he'd still be able to get us there in the first place with consistent games during the season. I'd also be hopeful/confident Mahoney and Burton would lift on the day and give us a great shot at winning a grand final, even if Moses was targeted and quiet as a result.

Exactly. We've got Mahoney and Burton (who should stay now Ciraldo is here).
A good chance at least one of the halves in lower grades will be ready by 2025. And fullback will be sorted by then as well.
Which means we really only need Moses for 2024.
Seems like a lot of trouble and a lot of money to plug a gap for just one season.

 

[Como Dog]

If the Dogs pay the big $ for Moses then he'll have to create history to lead the Dogs to GF glory.
I wouldn't back Moses create history or to do anything great in footy.
For the last 82 years at least the Dogs have never won a GF by recruiting a "superstar" HB on big $.
The great Turvey was a gun HB playing bush footy before he came to the Dogs and Hagan, Polla Mounter and Sherwin were not superstar HB when they first came to the club but developed their skills at the Dogs. In all probability that's where our next premiership winning HB will come from and it definitely will not be Flange.

We've lost our last 2 grand finals because we didn't have strong halves (7) who were even somewhat close to the best ones running around at that time.

We've all bemoaned the last 8 years and been hoping for something to change. We've picked up a few good players but nothing will change greatly, until we significantly improve our 7. Even with his history of fading in big games Moses is still clearly the best available, those who are better are locked up. We already tried Hunt but the Dragons were smart enough to keep him. We can say Moses is too expensive, well that's market rates and it won't change in the next 3 years anyway.

Nathan Cleary is a generational talent who will be remembered like A Johns at least. He's also incredibly rare as 7s don't come along so young and inexperienced and then immediately play at an elite 7 level. There's not an army of Nathan Cleary clones waiting to be snapped up in the lower grades so lets move on from that idea.

There are no guarantees of a grand final win, but we have 2 options to give us a much better chance of winning one in 2024 or 2025.
1 We sign Moses who is available.
2 We kidnap Cleary, bring in a plastic surgeon to reduce his chin and make him look like Flanno and then we send him out as the new Flanno.

Otherwise, we'll be having these same conversations about our lack of recent success for the next 4 or 5 years.

 

[Como Dog]

Exactly. We've got Mahoney and Burton (who should stay now Ciraldo is here).
A good chance at least one of the halves in lower grades will be ready by 2025. And fullback will be sorted by then as well.
Which means we really only need Moses for 2024.
Seems like a lot of trouble and a lot of money to plug a gap for just one season.

From what I've seen there's no lower grade 7 in our ranks who will play a major part in us winning a premiership in 2025.

 

[Como Dog]

Young Thurston in his first full year in first grade in 2005 didn't need an experienced first grade halfback to help him. Coach Murray had the foresight to build his team around Thurston and give him free reign, space and time to play his natural game at HB even though he was a part time 5/8/ bench player at the Dogs. Thurston learnt from his mistakes in real time and adapted quickly. The rest is history. That's what great players do - they don't need to be spoon fed. To make a quantum leap you need to think outside the box and be adaptable rather than just follow what every other club does.

Yep and when did Thurston win that premiership with the Cowboys? Ten years later.

 

[Como Dog]

The "brains trust" had him on the wing in the lower grades at one stage - geez.
However, I would argue he was always a Superstar HB, waiting for his opportunity - which he got and took.
We haven't always been great at identifying and nurturing our halves.
Current recruitment indicates that is starting to change.

He must have come through juniors as a half and/or FB and then got opportunities to play up a grade on the wing. His older brother was a fullback all through his school and lower grade days. Brent also played alongside Corey Hughes for many years and I think Hughes may have been the 7.

 

[CrittaMagic69]

In my post I was talking about 2004 Thurston vs 2020 Burton. Thurston played a handful of first grade games that year mainly when Anasta was injured. He only played in the GF from the bench because captain Price was out injured.
Are you seriously suggesting that Thurston was a superstar in 2004? If so using what criteria?

Bro, no. This comparison you're trying to make ain't it. If we had a young Walker type you could maybe make this argument but for Burton? Lol no.

 

[Bazildog]

Bro, no. This comparison you're trying to make ain't it. If we had a young Walker type you could maybe make this argument but for Burton? Lol no.

Double hater

 

[Reecek89]

Burton and Moses would be the perfect combo with our pack. Ones a runner and ones a controlling type.
Parras forwards are too hot and cold, when they are on Moses dominates.
How many times these last 5 years have our forwards been on top but we are let down by having no professionalism in the halves. Moses brings that.
We all think we have a Cleary type coming through the ranks, when we don’t. He’s a freak half who doesn’t come along often

 

[Lynchpin]

He must have come through juniors as a half...

Yes.

His older brother was a fullback all through his school and lower-grade days.

Greg was a very good goal-kicker too. I think he ended up down the South Coast somewhere (Shoalhaven?)
Had that crafty/"shifty" aspect to his play as well.

 

[1967]

‘One of them will have to go’: Legend’s big call on Eels’ $2m halves dilemma

Wendell Sailor believes the Eels can’t afford to pay both their halves $1 million a season and thinks Mitchell Moses will be the one to move on to another NRL club.

The Bulldogs and the Tigers have shown interest in Moses, while Brown has up to nine clubs keen on his services for 2024 and beyond, when both Parramatta halves come off-contract.

Speaking on Triple M, Sailor believes the Eels will have to choose their priority half and let the other one go to keep their salary cap in line.

“I don’t think you can keep both halves,” Sailor said on Triple M.

“I know they work well together, but you can’t afford to pay both your halves $1 million each.

“I just don’t think it is viable. One of them will have to go.

“I think Mitch Moses is the guy likely to move to another club. We have seen it done before.

“I know the Tigers really want him back there and Benji Marshall is there, so you never know.

Sailor believes the Bulldogs would be well set up to challenge for the top eight if they landed Moses after signing Eels grand final hooker and long time teammate Reed Mahoney.

“The Bulldogs have got some good troops there. If they got Moses there that would be a coup,” Sailor said.

“It would be perfect timing. He is 28 Mitch Moses. I like the way he plays.

“I just don’t think that the Eels can have both of them there, but it is testing times for the Parramatta Eels.”

Moses has scored 35 tries and 1,078 points in 198 NRL games for the Tigers and Eels since his debut in 2014 and has played one Origin for NSW and eight Test for Lebanon.

Brown, 22, has scored 24 tries in 82 games for the Eels since his debut in 2019 and has played five Tests for New Zealand.

 

[Harry Oz]

From what I've seen there's no lower grade 7 in our ranks who will play a major part in us winning a premiership in 2025.

Absolutely right. Impossible to say who might emerge as a first grade talent even in two years time.

Even coaches working very closely with development squads don't know who will succeed and who won't.

There is a huge focus on development and being an attractive club for young talent.

Although I can see the argument for spending $1million a year for 4 years on a superstar like Mitchell Moses, my faith is in the Bulldogs development and junior recruiting systems.

Maybe it will be 2026 before a decent home grown half? Who knows? Even Aza Mautairi will be 19 by then.

But it will happen.

Happy to wait.

 

[CQDog]

Burton and Moses would be the perfect combo with our pack. Ones a runner and ones a controlling type.
Parras forwards are too hot and cold, when they are on Moses dominates.
How many times these last 5 years have our forwards been on top but we are let down by having no professionalism in the halves. Moses brings that.
We all think we have a Cleary type coming through the ranks, when we don’t. He’s a freak half who doesn’t come along often

Our forward pack is very overrated. Aside from the greatness of King and Kikau, we have nothing much else. Thompson is a confirmed bust imo and TPJ has no consistency or trust from me that suggests he is gonna be good next year. RFM is solid but we need way more additions to make to elite or up there in the comp. We missed bad out on Klemmer, he’s someone we should have got.

 

[KiwiDog7]

Our forward pack is very overrated. Aside from the greatness of King and Kikau, we have nothing much else. Thompson is a confirmed bust imo and TPJ has no consistency or trust from me that suggests he is gonna be good next year. RFM is solid but we need way more additions to make to elite or up there in the comp. We missed bad out on Klemmer, he’s someone we should have got.

See how the pack goes under Ciraldo

I believe we will look vastly better in every area of our game

 

[Doggiezbrah]

Yeah good point. Thurston was a 6 at the dogs and held back in reserves by Anasta who was our 6 at the time.

We actually started Thurston in round 1 of 2004. We moved Anasta to lock to accommodate him and JT got injured during the game. It was ages ago and I could be wrong with this lol.