A fired-up Mitchell Moses has hit back at suggestions he is holding Parramatta to ransom as he refused to confirm whether his long-term future is with the Eels.
Moses will play his 200th NRL game against Cronulla on Friday, but his milestone match is merely a footnote in the sideshow which is enveloping the Eels playmaker.
The halfback was asked repeatedly on Monday what his plans were beyond this season, but the 28-year-old consistently claimed he had left all the decisions with his agent.
Moses, who has received interest from Wests Tigers and Canterbury, wouldn’t deliberate on whether the sticking point was the value or length of his next deal.
He had initially indicated he wanted a deal resolved before round one.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
“These things take time, I’ve left it with my management, they’ve let me fully focus on football,” Moses said.
“I don’t know if (I’m) being greedy. People don’t know about the numbers, people are just guessing, journalists are guessing, reporters are guessing what the numbers are, they have no idea. I’ve left it with my management.”
Moses’ agent is his cousin Isaac Moses, who was deregistered by the NRL in 2021 before being reinstated last year.
Asked what he saw as the hold-up in confirming his NRL future, Moses said: “Don’t know, (I’ve) left it with my management.
“I’ve got management to make that decision for me, they worry about that side I worry about football, that’s what a manager is for.
“It’s a big decision I have to make, Parramatta have been really good for me through this whole time and these things take time.”
The Eels No. 7 took exception to being asked if it was fair that Parramatta coach Brad Arthur had to consistently answer questions about whether his halfback would be wearing blue and gold next season.
“He’s been good with me, we’ve spoken about it,” Moses said. “We don’t even have to have those conversations, but he’s been fantastic through the process. I’ve got management who worry about that stuff, and I worry about football.
“I understand it’s frustrating (for the fans) but these things take time. It’s a big decision I have to make. It’s a big decision at this stage of my career… and I have to weigh up every option.”
The new Dally M format has been unveiled with two judges voting on each game and a five-way tie at the top of the leaderboard after Round 1.
After years of confusion and controversy about the process, the NRL has overhauled the system and now two former players will enter 3,2,1 votes for each match.
They will operate independent of each other, not knowing who the other person is, let alone who they’ve voted for.
Their votes are then tallied with a possible six votes up for grabs if a player is considered to be the player of the match by each judge.
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That happened on five occasions in Round 1 with Storm star Harry Grant, Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans, Dolphins hooker Jeremy Marshall-King and Rabbitohs half Lachlan Ilias the standout performers in their team’s respective wins.
In the Dolphins’ historic win over the Roosters, the two anonymous judges entered the same votes with Marshall-King edging out teammates Felise Kaufusi and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.
The votes were different between the judges in the other seven matches.
| Eels vs Storm | Harry Grant 6 | Cameron Munster 2 | Nick Meaney 2 | Josh Hodgson 1 | Junior Paulo 1 |
| Warriors vs Knights | Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad 6 | Tohu Harris 3 | Wayde Egan 2 | Jackson Ford 1 | |
| Panthers vs Broncos | Payne Haas 4 | Dylan Edwards 4 | Adam Reynolds 3 | Patrick Carrigan 1 | |
| Sea Eagles vs Bulldogs | Daly Cherry-Evans 6 | Haumole Olakau’atu 3 | Tom Trbojevic 2 | Reed Mahoney 1 | |
| Cowboys vs Raiders | Scott Drinkwater 5 | Chad Townsend 3 | Reuben Cotter 2 | Tom Dearden 2 | |
| Sharks vs Rabbitohs | Lachlan Ilias 6 | Keaon Koloamatangai 2 | Campbell Grahm 2 | Cameron Murray 2 | |
| Dolphins vs Roosters | Jeremy Marshall-King 6 | Felise Kaufusi 4 | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2 | ||
| Titans vs Tigers | David Fifita 5 | AJ Brimson 3 | Adam Doueihi 2 | Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 2 |
Under the new system, the names of the judges will remain secret.
Several judges copped negative backlash, particularly on social media in recent years, after their votes were publicised.
Former Jillaroos forward Ruan Sims stood down as a Dally M judge in 2018 after it was revealed she voted on an NRL game despite playing in a women’s match at the time.
After watching a replay of the match, she was roundly criticised for giving Api Koroisau a vote despite missing nine tackles as his team was flogged by 34 points.
David Fifita has vowed not to be distracted by his ongoing NRL contract saga, after finding a preferred new home Gold Coast’s left edge.
After days of speculation about his future, the off-contract Fifita was one of the club’s best players in their 22-10 win over Wests Tigers on Sunday.
The powerhouse second-rower set up a try after being put into a hole by Kieran Foran in the first half, and finished with five tackle busts in a dominant performance.
Coach Justin Holbrook remarked afterwards that it proved Fifita could juggle the ongoing contract speculation and his football, after they spoke on the issue earlier in the week.
Fifita initially attracted interest from Canberra for next season, but a decision now looms between staying at the Titans or returning to Brisbane after leaving there in 2020.
Fifita would not go into details of his call from Broncos coach Kevin Walters when asked by AAP, or reveal a timeline on when he wants his future resolved by.
But he is confident the situation won’t impact his football. “There are no distractions,” Fifita told AAP.
“The group and myself and the whole coaching staff know my full focus is here.
“I am just worried about week in, week out. It was good to get the win and next week is another big task.”
Fifita’s early success came after he moved from the right edge to his preferred left edge beside Foran when Beau Fermor suffered a season-ending ACL injury last week.
“I just feel more confident on the left edge, I feel way better,” Fifita said.
“I just know what I have to do with my body. I feel a lot more comfortable.
“It was a bit nerve wracking. I only got captain’s run in and the previous day with Foz and the left edge. To get the combos right in game one, it felt good.”
Finding a way to unlock Fifita looms as crucial for the Titans, after they were guilty of getting the ball in his hands enough last season.
Foran is likely to be crucial to that, but the five-eighth was due for scans late on Monday after fears he suffered a PCL injury after being hit in the knee in a tackle from the side by Apisai Koroisau.
The veteran No.6 was hopeful the discomfort was a result of a cork, but the Titans fear they are likely to receive worse news with time on the sidelines likely.
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