It’s easy to lay the boot into someone lying on the ground. But when your job is to lay the boot into a ball that’s lying on the ground, well, that should be easy too.
So while I take no joy in calling out Mitchell Moses, who must be feeling the end of his side’s season after Saturday night’s loss to South Sydney more than most, I also don’t shy away from it.
Because a central aspect of the dude’s job is to kick goals for his team.
And, having slotted them with ease from the sidelines in the Eels’ loss to the Rabbitohs, his inexplicable miss from virtually right in front of the sticks has to be seen as a failing of his mental fortitude.
For those who missed the cracking game, momentum had swung between the two sides throughout the match, Souths having raced to 8-0 up before Clinton Gutherson led his troops back to an 18-8 lead at halftime.
However it was all the Bunnies at the start of the second stanza, with Liam Knight and Cameron Murray crossing the stripe and Adam Reynolds making the extras for the score to sit 20-18 in favour of the Cardinal and Myrtle.
So when Parra received a penalty from just to the right of the sticks and 15 or so metres out, with 19 minutes on the clock, a penalty goal was the smart play. In finals footy, you make sure you’re not losing before you worry about how much you’re going to win by.
What’s more, with a career kicking accuracy of 81.4 per cent and having slotted one from virtually the same spot to convert for Gutherson’s first try – to say nothing of the two he iced from the touchline for the other four points he’d scored that night – this was a gimme off the tee for Moses.
But after hearing the ‘whump’ of leather hitting synthetic, instead of looking up to see the Steeden sail between the uprights, the ball clattered off the left-hand post, was scooped up by Jaxson Paulo who combined with Campbell Graham to take the ball to 25 metres of the Eels’ line, and the Bunnies duly scored shortly thereafter.
Fox Sports commentator Andrew Voss called it “a miracle” but my catechism would suggest that it depends on who you support as to whether it was divine intervention or actually the work of the bloke downstairs.
Regardless, from tying it up to going 26-18, it was an eight-point turnaround in a matter of seconds.
And while George Jennings crossed for his second with five minutes to go – another try that Moses had no trouble adding the extras for from the chalk – it was too little too late.
In circumstances that would have seen his team square the ledger and surely seize that precious intangible known as momentum, Moses made a literal clanger (you could hear the ball clanging into the timberwork) that cost his team the season.
Now, obviously there were 12 other guys on the field at the time of the missed penalty who could have scooped the ball up, and 16 fellas on the team sheet who had the chance to stand up and rally the troops. One man can’t be held responsible for an entire team’s failings – Parramatta capitulated as a club, with even the coach having to shoulder his share of the blame.
Mitchell Moses of the Eels (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
But when the Eels were firing on all cylinders earlier in the year, there were still whispers they wouldn’t get it done because their halfback is a flat-track bully. That Moses might be able to score a spectacular chip-and-chase try against the Wests Tigers in Round 11 but when it’s time to bring the noise, the boisterous halfback will suddenly go quiet.
The thing that must be most frustrating for Parra fans is that their No.7 clearly has the skills. His mouth writes cheques his body can cash. But when the whips are cracking, it’s his brain that’s broke.
Again, he banged three conversions from the sideline on Saturday night, the kid can obviously boot a ball. So what the hell happened when he was faced with the simplest kick of the night?
The circumstances were different. And he made a miss for the ages.
I’m hesitant to write Parramatta off entirely with Moses in their side but you have to wonder what confidence there will be in the 26-year-old – who will be 27 come finals time in 2021, so arguments about maturity and experience are fading fast – if the Eels are in a do-or-die match next year and they need someone to come up with the winning play.
Seriously, they’d likely give the ball to just about anyone else. Maybe Gutherson will spend the offseason practicing his conversions for just such a scenario.
Because this iteration of Mitchell Moses isn’t going to win you big matches.
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
last time we won anything (Parra), Ray Price was locking the scrum. Wonder if he can polish off the ol' boots for 2021 & bring back a bit of that mongrel?
Carlos Marrickvillian
Roar Rookie
Thats what I said ;)
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
He ain't the messiah, that's for sure. But last Saturday night he was a very naughty boy. Very simple to leave him out of the team, the difficult part is finding someone better to replace him. This is were the Parramatta coaching staff need to step up to the plate & transform him into a better & more consistent player.
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
I saw Hazem El Mazri miss a goal from right in front one night. But the doggies cut him some slack & let him keep the goal kicking duties.
Andrew01
Roar Rookie
Brad Arthur's career win percentage is exactly 50%. At the same stage of his coaching career (178 games), Ivan Cleary had a 47% winning record. His career win/loss is still just below Arthur's yet he is being lauded as the messiah at Penrith who should win the comp in a fortnight...
Eelsalmighty
Roar Rookie
I certainly take your point on Tolman, but to a bit more context around it I'm thinking we have at least 10 spots to cover in the top 30, we were light on for back up forwards this year as it was, and that's getting lighter still, there's not a lot of "available" options, and he can do the job. I know most of the players we released were on relatively low salaries and when you take into effect the cost of replacing them, even with min wage players, it doesn't free up a lot of cap space, hence the let's get some experience into the pack, if we can get him at a reasonable price.
Eelsalmighty
Roar Rookie
BA has had his fair share of attention. In 2016 he had pretty much all the attention, as he virtually single handedly faced the media over the cap scandal, effectively as management and coach. In 2018, and into 2019 he got plenty of attention, and deservingly so, although I disagreed with much of it, as disappointed as I was as a Parra supporter. In the second of 2020 he's starting to get attention again. I want to win a premiership as much as any supporter wants their team to win, but the odds are against it. Several coaches are sacked every season, still only 1 team wins a premiership. Assistant coaches get promoted, most fail, and still only 1 team wins a premiership. The way I see it, BA's been at club for 7 years already and if we give him a few more we will get our premiership, which would make him amongst the best of best.
Tom G
Roar Rookie
The Eels needs aren't entirely on the park. Isn't it about time the coach got some attention. Arthur has been there for years and his record is pretty dismal. He wouldn't have survived any other club with his record. I don't know how long he can live off the loyalty shown him without producing results
Rob
Guest
This is a ridiculous take. I'm no Moses fan but I'm not sure how you come to the conclusion that he is cocky and arrogant because he hit the post when kicking a goal.
Andrew01
Roar Rookie
Not sure I agree on Tolman - He doesn't really have that impact the Eels need. That is the sort of signing the Tigers make and the Eels need to get away from giving the contract that basically suspends a players retirement for one more year. Agree on Takarangi - he is simply a better player than Waqa Blake and should have been starting the majority of the year. You would imagine Jennings will now be done which will open up some money It will be a contract year for Sivo, so we will see if his effort level improves..
Simmo85
Roar Rookie
What a load of hogwash!
Eelsalmighty
Roar Rookie
Off topic, but still on the Eels, I have a few comments re our squad announcement. Not re signing Taka's both surprised and disappointed me. He's like an "Aubo 2" and think we should have re signed him, but all I can do is thank him and wish him all the best. I like that we retained Gower at the club. I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of others won't be around next year, on top of those we've just let go, so now I'm really keen to see who we're signing and/or promoting, and on that front I'd start with Tolman, if we can get him at an end of career salary.
Eelsalmighty
Roar Rookie
"Moses can't lead Parramatta to the promised land". You're probably right, statistically at least, given there are 16 teams, one "promised land" per year, and most player careers are less than 16 years. So who's better and/or who is a better (available/affordable) chance? Cleary has definitely been better this year, and maybe a few others in the second half of the season, so where in the HB pecking order would you place him and/or what's your solution?
Carlos Marrickvillian
Roar Rookie
What a load of hog wash. The reason Parra didn't progress to the business end this year is that our bench is not up to the level of the other serious contenders. When our best starting 13 is on the field we can dominate and be on top of any team in the comp. ... But ... Eventually the bench comes into play. When any combination of these guys Gower, Evens, Terepo, Taka, Davey and Ray Stone are out there the quality of play nose dives. We leak points, don't complete sets and generally lose "momentum". I really like all those players and a few of them have been excellent over the years and all have had good moments in the blue and gold but outside of an emergency none of them would make the 17 for any of the this years top 6. In some ways Marata Niukore was a bigger loss for this game than Fergo and Sivo. As he's the only play we have that can come of the bench and provide some impact. Until Parra has a bench like Penrith, Raiders, Storms, Rooters and even the Rabbitohs... We'll struggle to win a premiership.
Succhi
Roar Rookie
I think he gets frustrated easily, likes to play for a penalty and tries to influence the refs during the play. Did I read somewhere he is related to Benny Elias? Just sayin.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Good write up Joe, though I think there's too much pressure on one position. I wouldn't want our game to be like NFL and the halves are quarterbacks and everything revolves around them. I like watching teams that play an expansive game and bring their centres into play a lot.
fr4d
Guest
Oops, forgot the Harris-Tevita from the warriors in the up-and-coming group. I guess my point is that I think Moses is in the top group of 7s at the moment. If he was a QLDer would you pick him over DCE (who has not had a great year)?
fr4d
Guest
Out of interest, who do people think are the standout number 7s. These days the stars seem to be 1 or 6, with a forward or outside back here and there. For me Cleary is currently leaps ahead of the rest. Next I think there is the bunch of Hughes, Williams, Reynolds, Moses, Townsend. All of them have proved they can have top games, but also have their off moments and quiet days. Maybe Hughes is a step ahead of the rest, but always hard to tell with the Storm. Then there's Pearce and DCE and Morgan, once great but now very much in the "What have you done for me lately" bucket. I guess Hunt belongs here too. Then I'd say Flannigan and Fogarty are leading the pack of up-and-coming but not-quite-there-yet halves.
Aiden
Guest
Yes. There are a number of perfectly sound reasons why someone might argue that Moses needs to lift (consistently), for the Eels to be a genuine force. But missing a kick (after icing some far more difficult ones) isn't one of them. Sounds like a thought bubble that should have been popped, but it drifted around the room and ... gosh I just need to write this stuff down!
Andrew01
Roar Rookie
Just asking for a friend: If Joe Frost is allowed to question the mental fortitude of a player because of the result of a single kick from the 70 plus shots he took through the season, are we allowed to question him as a writer and his football knowledge based on one really poor piece of analysis aligning a single missed shot at goal to a players character? Because it is staggering. You wouldn't even read that in a News Ltd paper.