After Mitchell Moses’ amazing display of bravery, teammates exclaimed, “He’s a new man.”
The Parramatta players praised the fortitude of injured halfback Mitchell Moses, who played 25 minutes despite suffering a broken foot. They also trusted rising gun Blaize Talagi to cover the five-eighth position for the next two months.
Moses, who now ranks among the game’s toughest men after also missing the majority of an Origin match due to a broken back, suffered a fracture to his left foot during the victory over Manly. He might be out for up to eight weeks.
Captain Clint Gutherson remarked, “I think he did it with 25 minutes to go and he didn’t want to come off.”
“He made the decision to stay on the field in order for us to win, and he did just that. I don’t think knowing the outcome would have made him do anything differently.
Back-rower Shaun Lane is in awe of the toughness Moses continues to exhibit, having initially been questioned about his physicality when he entered the NRL. Moses was outstanding in the victory over the Sea Eagles.
“He desired to participate in the game even though he was injured; in fact, he played through half of it and wanted to continue,” Lane remarked.
Over the last four or five years, Mitch has developed into such a formidable competitor, especially considering that when he first began his NRL career, many questioned both his physicality and level of toughness.
It’s as like he’s a whole different person now because of how much his game has evolved from those early days.
“It sets a bad example for the other members of the team when one of your leaders is competing in that way. Even if your injury prevents you from playing, you never give up. In that regard, he leads us quite well.
Although the injury is a huge blow for the blue and golds, who will sadly miss Moses’ Easter Monday kicking match against the Wests Tigers, it does present an opportunity for Talagi to showcase his undeveloped talents in the second half.
Talagi made his debut last week at left center, but in what could be the biggest game of his young career, he’ll move to a role he knows well.
“Blaize will have to go through a learning process. While he has experience playing six going through, Gutherson explained that he chose not to move from fullback into the halves by saying, “Doing it full-time at the top grade is another level.”
“People are being moved out of their desired positions if you start shifting too many people.
“We’re confident Blaize will work well for us, so rather than rearranging too many people, we’ve just made that one adjustment and everything we want to do remains the same.”
In round three, Lane was seated next Talagi and was struck by his maturity and strength, which included his ability to run over Tom Trbojevic in order to score.
I believe he has an amazing future ahead of him because nothing really terrifies or worries him. I envision him moving up and up after he gets used to playing in first grade systems,” he remarked.
He’s distinguished himself at this age because he’s a brave competitor. He’s quite unique in that regard—he’s willing to try running through a brick wall in order to get a try.
“The biggest plus point for me was that many players can retreat into their shells and let the game get away from them, which is what happened after we gave up a couple early tries on the edge.
“However, it demonstrates his toughness and resilience because he was able to get back up and run over Tom.”
Though there are concerns that Bryce Cartwright may miss a month due to a rib ailment, Gutherson thinks Cartwright has a “realistic chance” of facing the Tigers.
“Due to the extended turnaround, he did not train today, allowing you to afford to give folks a break. You don’t need to train; you simply need to be ready and prepared for the one night a week that you are judged, he said.
“He did it in the first minute of the match, but he persevered and completed the tasks at hand.”
GET RELATED CONTENTS ON: BLACKSPORTNEWS.CO.UK