Life’s grand for Moss at high-flying Jets
sign for Warriors fans, he feels his lethal right-edge combination with Johnson and centre Peta Hiku still has room for improvement.
‘‘[My form] is not exactly where I want it to be, there’s a few things that I want to improve and get right,’’ he added.
‘‘But I feel like I’ve been gelling well with a few of the guys in the team and we’re slowly getting better each and every week. Hopefully we take another step this weekend.’’
The Warriors have yet to suffer backto-back defeats in 2018 but they know nothing will come easy against the fifthplaced Tigers.
Tipped to prop up the competition table with the Warriors at the start of the season, the visitors have defied the odds on the back of a rejuvenated Marshall and a rugged forward pack, which includes former Warriors Ben Matulino, Elijah Taylor and Russell Packer. However, the latter is out with a knee injury.
And while they are coming off two narrow defeats, the Ivan Cleary-coached side still boasts the third-best defence in the NRL.
‘‘It’s a massive task on Saturday night and it seems to me like they are scrapping for everything,’’ Warriors lock Adam Blair said.
‘‘What we’re trying to do here, they’re trying to do the same thing – work hard for each other, turn up when times are tough and scrap for everything.’’ to be announced as their new coach. But having him on board only provided further reinsurance that returning to Australia was the right decision.
‘‘He called me and said ‘have you been talking to the Jets?’ I thought ‘oh no, is he fishing for a comment?’ I actually laughed because he said it’s all good because he’s going to jump on board as well and I’d love to have you there too.
‘‘I knew what type of squad Ernie would build, how he would run training day to day, the team culture, the environment, and I just thought this was meant to be.
‘‘And everything has come to fruition up to now and we’ve been a strong team, we’ve got the community falling in love with us again and already the tickets are a sellout.
‘‘We’ve had a whole bunch of people down at training and it’s just an amazing experience.’’
But while Merrick has been widely praised for guiding Jets to their first grand final in 10 years, Moss said the influence of chief executive McKinna, who is often seen celebrating with supporters in the stands, cannot be overlooked either.
‘‘This is the CEO. He’s the top dog at the club and he’s putting on Braveheart wigs and engaging with the community.
‘‘He’s jumping around in the crowd. It’s amazing. People forget that he’s our CEO and I don’t think you’d get any other CEOs in the competition doing that stuff, but that’s the type of culture we wanted to show and he’s leading by example by saying no one is too big for this club.
"I’ve been in a lot of culture meetings in my time and there’s a lot of good things said but not a lot of action so I think the way we’ve led the competition in fan engagement and our crowd numbers, which is one of the only ones to have increased by around 15-20 per cent, all these things are showing that what we are trying to do is paying off.
‘‘Yes, I guess the argument is that you’re winning and scoring goals and all that but we’re a humble club and we’re more than happy to engage with our community whether we are winning or losing, and I think that’s what people respect more than anything.’’
Although the move could not have worked out any better for the 35-year-old, who is now set to play in the most important game of his 12-year A-League career, Moss said it was still hard to leave the Phoenix behind after five seasons. However, he revealed that he had become too comfortable in Wellington the change of scenery in Newcastle has clearly done him good.
‘‘I had been there a long time and I admit I was probably in my comfort zone a little bit and I wasn’t pushing myself as much as I could’ve, and that’s when I thought I needed to try something else,’’ he said.
‘‘That can happen sometimes when you are in one place for a long time and I guess it’s refreshed my passion for the game and I’ve enjoyed every week this season, whether I’ve played or not. It’s only fitting that we are there on grand final day.
‘‘It’s probably the biggest game in my club career and it’s been a long time coming for me. I’ve obviously realised that this might be the last chance, and I’ve waited a long time for it. But it’s an exciting week and you try and pass that advice on to the younger boys in the team, that you can’t take these games for granted."