Good article by Dean Nicholls / Zero Tackle
Mitch Moses switch sets dangerous precedent
This weekend we were all ‘treated’ to the Parramatta Eels debut of Mitchell Moses.
On the surface, it looks as though the move has satisfied all parties. Eels fans were relieved to finally land their man, while Tigers fans were happy to see the back of him, while Moses himself is now settled and can focus on rebuilding his career.
Fair enough, but the farcical series of events that lead to his mid-season move have set a dangerous precedent and one that unfortunately may be exploited in the future.
For those two or three who aren’t aware of the situation, here is a quick summation:
Tigers offer contract to Moses, as well as Luke Brooks, Aaron Woods and James Tedesco, hopefully of signing all four
Moses, like Tedesco and Woods, explores his options and does not accept new deal right away
Luke Brooks accepts contract offer and signs on
Moses reportedly looks all but certain to depart the club
Tigers withdraw offer to Moses based on their wanting to be able to offer Tedesco and Woods more money to stay
Moses signs for Eels, supposedly upset by the fact the Tigers withdrew a contract he was never expected to sign
Moses manager, also Moses, plays media games and pressures Tigers to release Mitch to Eels early
Tigers, who gain nothing by releases Moses early refuse original request
Attempts made to sign replacement to allow Moses to move are made
Replacement not found, Moses told he would have to see out the rest of the season
Moses produces two of the worst games in the history of our great game, which to be fair aren’t that far removed from his usual performances anyways
Tigers have literally no choice but to release Moses, as an empty jumper placed on the field would miss fewer tackles across 80 minutes
Tigers forced to field two halves not considered their top choice, then belted by Broncos
Moses plays for Eels, turns in a less than stellar performance
Did I miss anything?
So here we have a player who requested a release, was shot down, only to turn around and throw all of his toys out of his cot and get what he wants.
The Tigers had no choice but to release him early.
That is a dangerous precedent to set.
What is to stop Josh Dugan, having just signed a monster four-year deal with the Sharks, to walk in on Monday morning and demand a release from the final year of his Dragons contract?
Of course, the Dragons would be clinically insane to allow their best attacking weapon to walk out on the club, but what if Dugan were to show disinterest at training and play badly for a few weeks?
What good is a player who acts and plays as though his mind is elsewhere to a side?
Boom, a free pass to the Sharks.
Of course, there are no suggestions of this happening but what is to stop it from doing so?
There will be some who claim Moses is the victim in all of this. To them, I say, pfft.
Don’t get me wrong, the Tigers are a mess at the moment, who can blame Moses for wanting out? That said, he had a contract that he should have been willing to honour.
After all, this is a player who was hardly setting the world on fire form wise, looking for an upgraded, long-term contract, on his own terms.
Again, fair enough, he’s a young and obviously talented player, but the club had to act quickly to lock in its halves pairing for the foreseeable future, and Moses looked gone.
Perhaps the way the Tigers went about it was not the greatest, and let’s face it their recent form when it comes to decision making has not been good, but the reward for Moses was a ridiculous contract offered by the Eels.
Surely there’s no better way to head to a new club than on a rich vein of form at your current club right? Confidence flowing, youngsters fighting each other to get your name printed across their jersey for next season.
Instead, the drama was played out in the media, and ultimately Moses combination of poor form and really poor form meant the Tigers would be better off investing in a player who had 100% focus on the Tigers.
So for all those kids out there who want something and have been told no, despite having a signed and binding agreement to sit tight; just show your displeasure really loudly. If you can, play badly. You’ll get what you want.
Also, it helps if you get a manager.
