Moses making waves so far in 2014
Dan Talintyre
Fri 6th June, 12:45PM
While 2014 so far might have seen former Holy Cross playmaker Luke Brooks snare much of the public attention and notoriety, his fellow playmaker and close friend Mitchell Moses certainly isn’t having a quiet season by anyone’s standards either.
The 19-year-old started the year with games against the big boys in the Auckland Nines, before starring for the Club’s NYC program in the opening 10 rounds of the competition.
With a slew of try-assists and match-winning performances, Moses soon earned a call-up to the Club’s NSW Cup squad, and on the back of two strong games against quality opposition in Newcastle and Wentworthville, the five-eighth is quickly starting to make waves similar to that of his former Holy Cross halves partner in Brooks.
And while it’s been somewhat of a frantic start to the year for Moses, the 19-year-old says that he’s simply trying to enjoy wherever the ride takes him.
“Yeah, it’s been a little weird how quick it’s all moving,” Moses said.
“I’m just trying to soak it all up as much as possible.
“Coming from up from the under-20’s and then playing State Cup the last few weeks… it’s been a good jump — playing against older fellas and really getting the chance to throw my body around. I’ve been working hard on my defence, and playing against fully grown men is really helping my defensive game a lot.
“State Cup probably isn’t as quick as NYC but it’s definitely better for me to measure myself against and try and push my claim to get into the NRL.”
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Another of the Club’s notable local juniors, Moses has seen firsthand the rise of players from junior grades right through to first-grade, and praised the current depth of talent at the Club as the reason behind his strong form this year.
“I’ve got people around me that really help me,” he said. “They’ve helped me make the transition between teams and help me find my feet in any situation.
“My defence was a worry for me heading into State Cup, but the last two weeks I’ve been playing with Curtis Sironen inside me and he’s helped me a lot.
Even on the back of a man-of-the-match performance against Wentworthville last week where he accounted for three tries, two try assists and nine goals, Moses was adamant that it was the squad that made the result possible not him.
“People might think I had a good game last week, but it makes it a lot easier with experienced guys all around the park,” he said.
“Last week, Joel Luani was playing at hooker and really carting the boys around and was helpful in getting out of hooker. I was just playing off the back of the best forward pack in the league, and with guys like Nathan Brown, Curtis [Sironen] and even Dene Halatau coming back, it makes it a lot easier for me to get good ball and work with the backs.”
Click here to get five games of footy at ANZ Stadium this year for just $45!
Tucked in amongst Moses’ graduation, if you like, from NYC football to State Cup was a junior representative birth for New South Wales in the recent U/20 State of Origin.
Unsurprisingly, Moses starred — finishing with three try assists and a hand in two others — as the junior Blues posted a commanding victory over the Maroons.
Moses said being able to take part in a “big game like that” was an invaluable experience in his both his physical and psychological development as a footballer.
“To be honest, I didn’t think I was playing good footy before I got the Origin call-up, so I was really just hoping to play a decent game,” Moses admitted.
“Playing around the caliber of players in that team really helped me see what it was like to push myself to the next level and where I need to improve.
“I couldn’t tell you just how much that game helped me mature.”
NRL Head Coach Mick Potter — who’s obviously kept a very close eye on Moses’ development this season — similarly praised his maturity and composure.
“I think Mitchell’s got a heap of qualities that will see him in first-grade at some stage. He’s still developing his frame, if you like; he’s getting stronger, he’s getting more physical. But the really important thing is that he’s got the right attitude.
“You can teach a lot of things to a kid, but you can’t always teach them attitude.
“That’s their prerogative, if you like, and Mitchell’s got a great mindset.
“I’ve been really happy with his physicality over the past month or so and how he’s handled himself taking on men in State Cup this year.
“His enthusiasm rubs off on other he’s come along very nicely this year.
“We’re very happy with him… and I don’t think it’ll be too far in to the future until you see him knocking on the door of an NRL squad.”
Having watched the rise of players like Brooks, along with David Nofoaluma and Sironen from junior players to first-grade stars, there’s no doubt that Moses’ sole goal at the moment is to finally etch his name on the board of first-grade players at Wests Tigers.
And he’s not letting anything — especially not ego — get in the way of that goal.
“The boys are going really good at the moment, so you can’t really expect to get a call up any time soon,” Moses said with the clearest confidence.
“The guys we’ve got all deserve their spot 100 percent, so I’m in no rush to get myself in there. Obviously, if it comes then I’ll be over the moon, but I’m in no rush.
“I’ve still got things I need to improve on before I get there.
“I think I’ve been going away from taking on the line and trying to ball-play a bit too much so I think I need to get back to taking on the line and really trying to take ownership of the game. As I said, I’m in no rush at all.
Dan Talintyre
Fri 6th June, 12:45PM
While 2014 so far might have seen former Holy Cross playmaker Luke Brooks snare much of the public attention and notoriety, his fellow playmaker and close friend Mitchell Moses certainly isn’t having a quiet season by anyone’s standards either.
The 19-year-old started the year with games against the big boys in the Auckland Nines, before starring for the Club’s NYC program in the opening 10 rounds of the competition.
With a slew of try-assists and match-winning performances, Moses soon earned a call-up to the Club’s NSW Cup squad, and on the back of two strong games against quality opposition in Newcastle and Wentworthville, the five-eighth is quickly starting to make waves similar to that of his former Holy Cross halves partner in Brooks.
And while it’s been somewhat of a frantic start to the year for Moses, the 19-year-old says that he’s simply trying to enjoy wherever the ride takes him.
“Yeah, it’s been a little weird how quick it’s all moving,” Moses said.
“I’m just trying to soak it all up as much as possible.
“Coming from up from the under-20’s and then playing State Cup the last few weeks… it’s been a good jump — playing against older fellas and really getting the chance to throw my body around. I’ve been working hard on my defence, and playing against fully grown men is really helping my defensive game a lot.
“State Cup probably isn’t as quick as NYC but it’s definitely better for me to measure myself against and try and push my claim to get into the NRL.”
\
\
Another of the Club’s notable local juniors, Moses has seen firsthand the rise of players from junior grades right through to first-grade, and praised the current depth of talent at the Club as the reason behind his strong form this year.
“I’ve got people around me that really help me,” he said. “They’ve helped me make the transition between teams and help me find my feet in any situation.
“My defence was a worry for me heading into State Cup, but the last two weeks I’ve been playing with Curtis Sironen inside me and he’s helped me a lot.
Even on the back of a man-of-the-match performance against Wentworthville last week where he accounted for three tries, two try assists and nine goals, Moses was adamant that it was the squad that made the result possible not him.
“People might think I had a good game last week, but it makes it a lot easier with experienced guys all around the park,” he said.
“Last week, Joel Luani was playing at hooker and really carting the boys around and was helpful in getting out of hooker. I was just playing off the back of the best forward pack in the league, and with guys like Nathan Brown, Curtis [Sironen] and even Dene Halatau coming back, it makes it a lot easier for me to get good ball and work with the backs.”
Click here to get five games of footy at ANZ Stadium this year for just $45!
Tucked in amongst Moses’ graduation, if you like, from NYC football to State Cup was a junior representative birth for New South Wales in the recent U/20 State of Origin.
Unsurprisingly, Moses starred — finishing with three try assists and a hand in two others — as the junior Blues posted a commanding victory over the Maroons.
Moses said being able to take part in a “big game like that” was an invaluable experience in his both his physical and psychological development as a footballer.
“To be honest, I didn’t think I was playing good footy before I got the Origin call-up, so I was really just hoping to play a decent game,” Moses admitted.
“Playing around the caliber of players in that team really helped me see what it was like to push myself to the next level and where I need to improve.
“I couldn’t tell you just how much that game helped me mature.”
NRL Head Coach Mick Potter — who’s obviously kept a very close eye on Moses’ development this season — similarly praised his maturity and composure.
“I think Mitchell’s got a heap of qualities that will see him in first-grade at some stage. He’s still developing his frame, if you like; he’s getting stronger, he’s getting more physical. But the really important thing is that he’s got the right attitude.
“You can teach a lot of things to a kid, but you can’t always teach them attitude.
“That’s their prerogative, if you like, and Mitchell’s got a great mindset.
“I’ve been really happy with his physicality over the past month or so and how he’s handled himself taking on men in State Cup this year.
“His enthusiasm rubs off on other he’s come along very nicely this year.
“We’re very happy with him… and I don’t think it’ll be too far in to the future until you see him knocking on the door of an NRL squad.”
Having watched the rise of players like Brooks, along with David Nofoaluma and Sironen from junior players to first-grade stars, there’s no doubt that Moses’ sole goal at the moment is to finally etch his name on the board of first-grade players at Wests Tigers.
And he’s not letting anything — especially not ego — get in the way of that goal.
“The boys are going really good at the moment, so you can’t really expect to get a call up any time soon,” Moses said with the clearest confidence.
“The guys we’ve got all deserve their spot 100 percent, so I’m in no rush to get myself in there. Obviously, if it comes then I’ll be over the moon, but I’m in no rush.
“I’ve still got things I need to improve on before I get there.
“I think I’ve been going away from taking on the line and trying to ball-play a bit too much so I think I need to get back to taking on the line and really trying to take ownership of the game. As I said, I’m in no rush at all.
