Wests Tigers halfback Luke Brooks has declared partner-in-crime Mitchell Moses ready to make his stamp on the NRL should coach Mick Potter usher him into the fullback spot next Sunday.
A season-ending knee injury to star fullback James Tedesco seconds into Saturday night's 19-18 win over Canberra has opened the door for the Tigers prodigy to make his long awaited NRL debut, and Brooks has every faith in his good mate doing the job.
"I'm not sure which way it's going to go, but if he does get his shot, I know he'll grab it with both hands and do well," Brooks told NRL.com.
"He's played a bit of fullback this year and he's been carving up at State Cup, so I reckon he's right to go."
Moses was previously pencilled in to make his debut against the Roosters in Round 9 but was controversially suspended for two weeks after his homophobic slur in New South Wales' under-20s Origin in early May.
However with back-up options Kurtis Rowe (ankle) and Tim Moltzen (kneecap) also on the sidelines, the club's five-eighth-in-waiting is again in strong contention to fill Tedesco's boots.
Potter admitted he would have a look at the tantalising prospect of a Moses-Tedesco combination, or reward utility Blake Austin for a commendable performance standing in for the side's win on Saturday night.
"I didn't think the bloke who played for 79 odd minutes went too bad. He was pretty tidy, wasn't he?" Potter said.
"Considering we had ten less sets than them and we defended our line quite a bit in that second half, I thought he was outstanding in some of the aspects.
"It's not his preferred position, but certainly he can do that. I thought he was great tonight. His talk was good and he got in some big plays for us."
Moses, the nephew of club legend Ben Elias, was experimented with at fullback in an under-20s game a fortnight ago and scored two tries while setting up another. He returned to pivot in the NSW Cup last week.
"He's a versatile player. He's similar to Blake. He can play different positions in the backline. So we'll talk about it through the week," Potter said.
Tedesco, who suffered a fractured patella on the same knee that was reconstructed in 2012, was immediately taken to Campbelltown Hospital after being stretchered off and is understood to have undergone surgery overnight.
Brooks said he was confident the side could push deep into the finals without their talented fullback, and didn't give up hope of a late return.
"I feel sorry for him, he's had a terrible run with injuries but hopefully he's not as bad as we think. We'll have to wait and see," he said.
"I think whoever fills in will do the job. You never know, he could come back towards the end of the season and if he does he could be a big boost."
Link: http://www.nrl.com/moses-is-ready-brooks/tabid/10874/newsid/79793/default.aspx
A season-ending knee injury to star fullback James Tedesco seconds into Saturday night's 19-18 win over Canberra has opened the door for the Tigers prodigy to make his long awaited NRL debut, and Brooks has every faith in his good mate doing the job.
"I'm not sure which way it's going to go, but if he does get his shot, I know he'll grab it with both hands and do well," Brooks told NRL.com.
"He's played a bit of fullback this year and he's been carving up at State Cup, so I reckon he's right to go."
Moses was previously pencilled in to make his debut against the Roosters in Round 9 but was controversially suspended for two weeks after his homophobic slur in New South Wales' under-20s Origin in early May.
However with back-up options Kurtis Rowe (ankle) and Tim Moltzen (kneecap) also on the sidelines, the club's five-eighth-in-waiting is again in strong contention to fill Tedesco's boots.
Potter admitted he would have a look at the tantalising prospect of a Moses-Tedesco combination, or reward utility Blake Austin for a commendable performance standing in for the side's win on Saturday night.
"I didn't think the bloke who played for 79 odd minutes went too bad. He was pretty tidy, wasn't he?" Potter said.
"Considering we had ten less sets than them and we defended our line quite a bit in that second half, I thought he was outstanding in some of the aspects.
"It's not his preferred position, but certainly he can do that. I thought he was great tonight. His talk was good and he got in some big plays for us."
Moses, the nephew of club legend Ben Elias, was experimented with at fullback in an under-20s game a fortnight ago and scored two tries while setting up another. He returned to pivot in the NSW Cup last week.
"He's a versatile player. He's similar to Blake. He can play different positions in the backline. So we'll talk about it through the week," Potter said.
Tedesco, who suffered a fractured patella on the same knee that was reconstructed in 2012, was immediately taken to Campbelltown Hospital after being stretchered off and is understood to have undergone surgery overnight.
Brooks said he was confident the side could push deep into the finals without their talented fullback, and didn't give up hope of a late return.
"I feel sorry for him, he's had a terrible run with injuries but hopefully he's not as bad as we think. We'll have to wait and see," he said.
"I think whoever fills in will do the job. You never know, he could come back towards the end of the season and if he does he could be a big boost."
Link: http://www.nrl.com/moses-is-ready-brooks/tabid/10874/newsid/79793/default.aspx
