Mitchell Moses

Mitchell Moses (Arabic: ميتشل موسى; born 16 September 1994) is a Lebanon international rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth and halfback for the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League (NRL).

Mitch[1] Moses
Personal information
Full nameMitchell Moses
Born (1994-09-16) 16 September 1994
Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
Height182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight85 kg (13 st 5 lb)
Playing information
PositionHalfback, Five-eighth, Fullback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2014–17 Wests Tigers 67 13 78 3 211
2017– Parramatta Eels 75 12 202 3 455
Total 142 25 280 6 666
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2016–19 Prime Minister's XIII 2 3 6 0 24
2017 World All Stars 1 0 0 0 0
2017 Lebanon 4 1 8 1 21
2019 Australia 9s 4 4 9 0 37
As of 20 October 2019
Source: [2]

He previously played for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League, and has also played for the Australian Prime Minister's XIII and World All Stars sides.

Background

Moses was born in Ryde, New South Wales, Australia on 16 September 1994. He is of Lebanese descent and is the nephew of former Balmain Tigers player Benny Elias.[3]

Moses played his junior football for the Holy Cross Rhinos and Carlingford Cougars[4] before being signed by the Parramatta Eels. Moses played for the Eels' Harold Matthews Cup team before being signed by the Wests Tigers. Moses later said, "I went to Parramatta and played Harold Matts there. I wanted to stay there but it's their decision and I respect it."[4]

In 2012, Moses played for the Tigers S. G. Ball C up team, playing in their grand final win over the Canberra Raiders alongside teammate Luke Brooks, and was named the S. G. Ball Cup Player of the Year.[5] In 2012, Moses played for the Australian Schoolboys.[6] In November 2012, Moses was named in the New South Wales Blues Origin Pathways Camp.[7] Moses played for the Wests Tigers NYC team in 2013 and 2014. In August 2013, Moses re-signed with the Tigers on a 4-year contract.[8] He said, "It wasn’t the case that I only stayed because Luke did, but I definitely think I play my best football alongside him."[9]

Playing career

2014

In February, Moses was selected in the Wests Tigers inaugural Auckland Nines squad.[10] In May, he played for the New South Wales in the Under 20s State of Origin match at Penrith Stadium. A late selection at halfback after Luke Brooks withdrew, Moses contributed to four tries in the victory, and was said to have, "directed the team superbly," as they won 30-8.[11] A few days later, he was suspended for 2 matches for calling Luke Bateman a "fucking gay cunt" during the match. Moses had been slated to make his NRL debut the next weekend, but was unable due to his suspension.[12][13] In Round 17 of the 2014 NRL season, Moses made his NRL debut for the Wests Tigers against the Penrith Panthers at Leichhardt Oval at fullback in the Tigers 26-10 loss.[14][15] In the Tigers last match of the season against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in Round 26, Moses scored his first NRL try in the Tigers 26-10 win at Leichhardt Oval.[16] Moses finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in 10 matches, scoring 1 try and kicking 2 goals. He made his first 6 NRL appearances at fullback but has since moved into the halves. It was noted that his first year was "a tough start to life in first-grade for the local junior, particularly as the club imploded on and off the field."[17]

2015

Moses joined Luke Brooks in the halves for 2015. Moses struggled early in the season under the more structured play of new coach Jason Taylor. He said, "I definitely was feeling a little bit frustrated at the start of the year and a bit low on confidence. I'm a freestyle player. That's how I play footy and coming into the structure that JT has bought – now, I don't mind it. It's a good learning curve for me to play to a structure while also being given that freedom of play whenever I see something to take it up."[18] Moses scored his first double in round 15, scoring Wests Tigers' first and last try against Manly.[19] Playing in every game for the year at Five-eighth, he was one of three Wests Tigers with 12 or more line-break assists.[20]

2016

With the absence of Robbie Farah and Luke Brooks, Moses was the Tigers' key playmaker for the season opener in Round 1 against the New Zealand Warriors. He was said to have given a "first-half masterclass" as he set up 3 "spectacular" tries during the 34-26 win. Coach Taylor said, "He was such a rookie this time last year. He ran the team for us today, which is a really big step for him."[21] Moses also took over the team's goal-kicking duties, kicking five conversions. He would share goal-kicking with Jordan Rankin as the season progressed. After Robbie Farah was dropped to reserve grade towards the end of the year, it was said, "A large reason for the Tigers' success over the past six weeks has been the form of five-eighth Mitchell Moses, who has been the club's best player over that period."[22] Phil Gould named him as his five-eighth of the year, saying, "His back half of the season has been as good as any player in the game and he only appears to be getting better."[23] Moses finished the season as the club’s highest pointscorer with 113 points by scoring 6 tries, 43 goals and 3 field goals in 23 matches. On 7 September, Moses was awarded as the Tigers "Player of the Year".[24] On 24 September, Moses made his representative debut with the Prime Minister's XIII against Papua New Guinea, scoring 3 tries and kicking 4 goals in the 58-0 thrashing win in Port Moresby.[25] At the conclusion of the season Moses was awarded Tigers Player of the Year.[24]

2017

In February, Moses played for the World All Stars against the Indigenous All Stars, starting at five-eighth.[26] Early in the season, Moses, alongside Tigers captain Aaron Woods, halves partner Luke Brooks and fullback James Tedesco, attracted media attention as their contracts all expired at the end of the year.[27][28] Moses signed a 3-year deal with the Parramatta Eels, starting from 2018.[29][30] He then asked for an early release from the club to join the Eels, but was denied by the Tigers.[31] After fulltime of the match in round 9, at Leichhardt Oval, a can of beer was thrown onto the field nearly hitting players. Moses was thought to be the intended target of the projectile.[32] On 16 May, he was released from his contract to join the Eels.[33][34] Moses played in 10 matches, scored 3 tries and kicked 28 goals for the Tigers before switching over to Parramatta.

On May 20, Moses made his Eels debut at halfback in a 16-22 loss to the Canberra Raiders.[35] June 29, Moses kicked a field goal in golden point to win the match against Canterbury 13-12.[36] On 8 July, he scored his first try for Parramatta in a 22-6 victory over Melbourne.[37] The Eels finished 4th and made their first appearance in the finals since the 2009 NRL Grand Final. Moses played at halfback in the Eels losses to the Melbourne Storm and North Queensland Cowboys as they stumbled out of the finals in straight sets to be the first top 4 team since Manly in 2014 to go out in straight defeats. Moses played in all 26 games of the season, 10 for Wests Tigers and 16 for the Eels, scoring 4 tries, kicking 59 goals and 1 field goal.[38]

Moses was selected as vice-captain of the 24-man squad for Lebanon for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.[39] In the first pool match against France, Moses had an outstanding match, scoring a try, kicking 4 goals and a field goal in the 29-18 win at Canberra Stadium.[40] Even though Lebanon lost their 3 other pool matches against more experienced teams England, Australia and Tonga, Moses was named at five-eighth in the Team of the Tournament. He played in all 4 matches, scoring 1 try and kicking 8 goals and 1 field goal.[41]

2018

Moses was sin-binned in the first two games of the season. In round 1, he was sent from the field for a professional foul.[42] In round 2, a 54-0 loss to Manly, he was binned for dissent.[43] On 5 May, Moses missed a conversion from the sideline which would have taken the game to extra time. With seven minutes remaining in the match against Cronulla, Parramatta were losing 22-4 when they scored three late tries to make it 22-20 on the full time siren with Moses getting the last try.[44] On 2 June, Moses suffered a knee injury. It was initially thought that he had suffered a posterior cruciate ligament injury but scans showed no major damage was done and instead he would miss 2-3 matches.[45] On 19 July, Moses scored the match-winning try in Parramatta's 14-8 victory over arch rivals Canterbury, which the media dubbed the "spoon bowl" as the teams were sitting second last and last on the ladder.[46][47] In Round 25, Moses was sent to the sin bin for the third time in the season in Parramatta's 44-10 loss against the Sydney Roosters.[48][49]

At season's end, Moses was told by Parramatta he was free to join another club. He said, "I'm not sure who wanted me or didn't want me. I'm not going to lie it was upsetting to hear that straight away after the season."[50] Moses remained at the club, with halves partner Corey Norman leaving.

2019

In Round 6, Moses was the first player to score a try, conversion and field goal in the first NRL match played at the new Bankwest Stadium in which Parramatta defeated Wests Tigers 51-6. The first try to be officially scored at the new stadium was by teammate Bevan French who crossed for the Wentworthville Magpies against Western Suburbs in the Canterbury Cup NSW match played before the main game.[51][52][53]

On June 8, Moses signed a three year deal worth $2.5 million, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2022 season.[54]

At the end of the 2019 NRL season, Parramatta finished in 5th place on the table and qualified for the finals. Moses finished the regular season as the competition's leading try assist maker. In the elimination final against Brisbane, Moses scored 2 tries and kicked 6 goals as Parramatta won the match 58-0 at the new Western Sydney Stadium. The victory was the biggest finals win in history, eclipsing Newtown's 55-7 win over St George in 1944. The match was also Parramatta's biggest win over Brisbane and Brisbane's worst ever loss since entering the competition in 1988.[55][56]

On 30 September, Moses was named at halfback for the Australia PM XIII side. He was named as the 2019 halfback of the year at the Dally M Awards.[57]

2020

In round 2 of the 2020 NRL season, Moses scored a try and kicked nine goals as Parramatta defeated the Gold Coast 46-6.[58]

In round 11, Moses returned from injury against the Wests Tigers and scored an amazing solo try as he chipped the ball over the Wests defence and scored under the posts as Parramatta won the match 26-16 at Bankwest Stadium.[59]

gollark: Not really.
gollark: That's kind of what the correction asterisk means but that would be valid too.
gollark: The `*` represents a correction, i.e. "this is wrong so substitute this in where the incorrect bit is".
gollark: Oh, I see. That's not a sentence.
gollark: What are you talking about then?

References
  1. "Horo cops three-week ban". NRL.com. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  2. Mitchell Moses rugbyleagueproject.org
  3. Adrian Proszenko (17 July 2011). "Familiar names on display as schoolboys highlight the talent from league dynasties". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  4. Adrian Proszenko (5 July 2014). "Wests Tigers' Mitchell Moses to make debut alongside great mate Luke Brooks". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  5. "Benny Elias nephew Mitchell Moses set to box clever on NRL debut". Daily Telegraph.
  6. Walshaw, Nick (14 July 2012). "Benny Elias' nephew Mitchell Moses stars for the Australian Schoolboys". News.com.au. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  7. Adrian Proszenko (18 November 2012). "Sironen follows in father's footsteps after call-up to baby Blues squad". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  8. Adrian Proszenko (3 August 2013). "Meet Tigers' generation next". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  9. Massoud, Josh (3 May 2014). "We reveal the next generation of stars set to battle it out in the Under 20s State of Origin clash". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  10. "Squads for Auckland Nines". Rugby League Week. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016.
  11. Walter, Brad (3 May 2014). "Mitchell Moses stars as NSW win under 20s Origin clash". Border Mail. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  12. Dean Ritchie. "Young Tigers star Mitchell Moses's homophobic slur has robbed him of his NRL debut". Fox Sports.
  13. "Baby Blues make it three from three to retain Lockyer Shield". nswrl.com.au.
  14. NRL. "Late Changes: NRL Round 17 - Tigers". Weststigers.com.au. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  15. James MacSmith. "Tigers' Moses impresses in NRL debut". Sydney Morning Herald.
  16. "Tigers end season with scrappy win over Sharks". Rugby League Week. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  17. "NRL power rankings: we rank the competition's starting five-eighths". Daily Telegraph. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  18. Jack Brady (19 June 2015). "Freestyler Moses sticks to structure". nrl.com. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
  19. "Halves star in Sea Eagles win". nrl.com. 20 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  20. "Line Break Assists". nrl.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  21. David Riccio (5 March 2016). "Mitchell Moses shines as coach Jason Taylor lets Wests Tigers off leash". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  22. Michael Chammas. "Aaron Woods on drip as virus flattens Wests Tigers before Canberra Raiders clash". Sydney Morning Herald.
  23. Phil Gould. "Phil Gould's NRL Team of the Year: Season 2016". Canberra Times.
  24. "Moses named Tigers' Player of the Year". NRL.com. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  25. "Report, pictures: PM's XIII smashes PNG". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  26. "Indigenous All Stars too hot to handle". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  27. "Wests Tigers contracts: James Tedesco Roosters, Aaron Woods Bulldogs, Mitchell Moses Eels". Fox Sports. 5 April 2017.
  28. "Tigers can keep the Big Four: Cleary - NRL". Wwos.nine.com.au. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  29. "Parramatta Eels sign Mitch Moses: Wests Tigers star returns to junior club". Fox Sports. 6 April 2017.
  30. "Mitchell Moses knocked back by Tigers after agreeing to Parramatta deal". News.com.au. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  31. "Mitchell Moses Reportedly Turns Down Wests Tigers Offer Asks For Release to Join Parramatta". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  32. "Wests Tigers Leichhardt Oval investigated: Mitchell Moses projectile". Fox Sports. 30 April 2017.
  33. "Mitchell Moses granted release to join Parramatta Eels". Fox Sports. 16 May 2017.
  34. "Mitchell Moses Begins the Next Phase of his NRL Career as a Parramatta Eel". Dailytelegraph.com.au.
  35. http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/mitchell-moses-struggles-in-first-game-for-parramatta/news-story/e9ed421e0da17eb6497a162fb523492b
  36. Buckley, James. "NRL 2017: Mitchell Moses field goal snatches it for Parramatta Eels over Canterbury Bulldogs". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  37. https://www.nrl.com/news/2017/07/08/eels-too-good-for-starless-storm/
  38. "NRL: Semi Radradra Parramatta Eels beat Melbourne Storm round 18 2017". Foxsports.com.au. 8 July 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  39. https://www.nrl.com/news/2017/10/12/lebanon-announce-world-cup-squad/
  40. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/mitchell-moses-steps-up-to-guide-lebanon-to-victory-over-france/news-story/16c6e4dfa8e93297cf09484113c3d476
  41. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/ruby-league-world-cup-2017-mitchell-moses-supreme-as-parramatta-star-gives-tonga-an-almighty-scare-20171118-gzo5sq.html
  42. James Buckley. "Cleary orchestrates storming comeback victory over Parramatta". Sydney Morning Herald.
  43. Adam Pengilly. "'Only one team playing': Arthur furious with soft effort in cauldron". Sydney Morning Herald.
  44. http://www.sportingnews.com/au/league/news/mitchell-moses-parramatta-eels-cronulla-sharks-missed-kick-golden-point/efacjhf1y02n1ta3vswhlsoys
  45. https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/06/03/parramatta-eels-star-mitchell-moses-cleared-of-serious-knee-injury/
  46. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-19/nrl-parramatta-eels-beat-canterbury-bulldogs/10006932
  47. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/fears-spoon-bowl-will-attract-lowest-crowd-for-20-years-20180716-p4zrs9.html
  48. https://www.nrl.com/news/2018/09/01/roosters-thrash-eels-to-take-minor-premiership/
  49. https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/eels/parramatta-eels-season-2018-review-peter-sterlings-biggest-fear-after-horror-campaign/news-story/14f79c1c637fa8d03bbfa6d6b63b55f1
  50. Michael Chammas. "Mitchell Moses: The day I was told I was free to leave Eels". nrl.com.
  51. "Eels vs Wests Tigers - NRL match centre". Wide World of Sports. 22 April 2019.
  52. "news/2019/04/19/live-coverage--canterbury-cup-nsw-rd-6/". www.nswrl.com.au.
  53. "Magpies record first ever win at Bankwest Stadium". Parramatta Eels.
  54. "Mitchell Moses re-signs with Eels on $2.5 million deal". Fox Sports.
  55. "Parramatta Eels eliminate Brisbane Broncos from the NRL Finals with a thumping 58-0 win". ABC.
  56. "Mitchell Moses closes in on Eels' 14-year first after extending try assist lead against Titans". Fox Sports.
  57. "Tedesco tops list of 2019 Dally M award winners". NRL.
  58. "Parramatta Eels v Gold Coast". www.foxsports.com.au.
  59. "Parramatta Eels beat Wests Tigers". www.abc.net.au.
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