Sterlo: Patience is needed for Moses
PETER Sterling believes it will take time for Mitchell Moses to produce his best football in the blue and gold, but wants to ‘‘see something’’ from Parramatta’s star recruit as the club attempts to remain in playoffs contention.
Today will mark Moses’ fifth game since switching from Wests Tigers in what has been an underwhelming start to his Eels career.
The enigmatic playmaker has shown flashes of brilliance with the ball in hand, but his inconsistency and defensive lapses are becoming concerning. The 22-year-old missed six tackles, some of which led directly to tries, in his first game alongside Corey Norman in last weekend’s loss to the Cowboys.
While their combination is expected to get better the longer they play together, Parramatta are running out of time after falling out of the top eight.
Sterling, the club’s greatest halfback, has called for patience as long-suffering fans wait for a return on investment on their mid-season signing.
‘‘I think he has been up and down, but I think that is understandable,’’ Sterling said.
‘‘I think it would enormously difficult to change clubs as a playmaker at any point in the season. I don’t think Parramatta have been particularly good this year. They based a campaign last year around being really gritty in defence and that takes a bit of pressure off your attacking game. I don’t think we have been anywhere near as good as we were last year.
‘‘So all of a sudden there is a bit more pressure on the other side of the game and I don’t think that has helped his transition. Everybody knows he has ability and he has a few first grade games under his belt now so we want to see something. I am prepared to give him time.’’
The versatile Clint Gutherson has done a good job while filling in in the halves, raising questions about his best position. Parramatta coach Brad Arthur has named him in the centres against the Dragons, although it is unclear where his long-term future lies.
‘‘I just raise the point that with Clint Gutherson, I don’t think he is a centre,’’ Sterling said.
‘‘Brad knows more about it than I do. They have invested in Bevan French as a fullback and I think that is wise.
‘‘Again, I am glad I am not coaching and I hope Mitchell Moses will justify the change.
‘‘The ability is there, it’s just when you’re a halfback or five- eighth in first grade you have to be seven [out of 10] at worst every week and we would like you to be closer to nine most weeks. That means you have to be really consistent and the decision-making has to be good.’’
Moses’ team-mates spoke out in support of the maligned playmaker ahead of the ANZ Stadium encounter.
‘‘It doesn’t just come down to Mitch,’’ fullback Bevan French said.
‘‘It’s everyone else in the team. If everyone else in the team is not playing good then you can’t expect him to pull a rabbit out of the hat and make things happen. If the whole team is going well, you’ll see Mitch going well.’’
Eels utility Brad Takairangi added: ‘‘He did make the change to learn our attack really quickly and he’s taken a bit just to get used to our defensive structures.’’
The Eels comprehensively defeated the Dragons in round two in a match dominated by fourtry hero Semi Radradra.
However, they have subsequently struggled for cohesion due to injuries to key players, including Norman, Michael Jennings and French. Jennings has been named on an extended bench in the hope of making his return, while French missed five matches due to a knee injury.