Moses wary of Storm warning

Parramatta star Mitchell Moses has implored his team-mates not to get carried away with Sunday’s historic NRL finals win, saying their job isn’t done yet.

The Eels sent an ominous warning to their rivals after advancing to Saturday’s semifinal against Melbourne with a record 58-0 thrashing of Brisbane.

The 11-try rout was Parramatta’s first finals win since 2009 and the first in three attempts for Moses across his seven years in first grade.

However, while pleased to break his finals duck, Moses remains wary of their preliminary final opponent Melbourne Storm who are reeling from their upset loss to Canberra in their qualifying final.

‘‘It gives you a bit of confidence but we have to keep a lid on it a little bit,’’ Moses told AAP.

‘‘Great win, we’re going to enjoy it, but we got a job to do.

‘‘Melbourne a great side. There’s a reason why they’ve only lost four games [during the regular season] and it’s because they’re the best team in the comp.’’ Moses was among of host of stars for the Eels against the Broncos, scoring two tries, setting up two more, and kicking six goals for a 20-point haul.

The former Wests Tigers playmaker even earned some rave reviews from the eighth NRL immortal, Andrew Johns, for his defence.

‘‘It’s good to be noticed in that little aspect of the game but it’s your job,’’ Moses said.

‘‘As a halfback, you gotta put your body in front. You gotta make tackles, because it’s a big thing for the team defence.’’

Moses’s first finals appearance was in a loss to Melbourne in a preliminary final in 2017, having controversially joined the Eels midway through the season.

Now that he’s far more Mitchell Moses settled at the

club, he is hoping the result is different.

‘‘I remember we went in with a halftime lead, but Melbourne’s Melbourne down there. They just had too much class,’’ he said.

Parramatta are also breathing a sigh of relief after playmaker Dylan Brown was cleared by the NRL match review committee.

But there may be more pain for Brisbane with lock Joe Ofahengaue facing a one-match ban and fine.

The Eels were sweating on Brown’s availability after the five-eighth was placed on report for a possible crusher tackle on Broncos No 1 Anthony Milford. But Brown did not appear on yesterday’s charge sheet.

Ofahengaue was not so lucky. The Broncos No 13 faces a onematch suspension on a grade-one dangerous contact charge following and also faces a A$1350 fine for a grade-one careless high tackle on Parramatta flyer Blake Ferguson.

Meanwhile, Manly players expect Martin Taupau to make an immediate impact on return from suspension in Friday’s NRL semifinal against South Sydney. Big prop Taupau will come back into the Sea Eagles pack, setting up a heavyweight clash with Rabbitohs captain Sam Burgess, who is also returning from suspension. Not many creations born in September, 1882, are alive and vibrating 137 years later but the Ashes are. After this series ended 2-2 – the only such outcome save in 1972 – tickets for the Brisbane test in November, 2021, will soon be selling like hot burgers.

The contest between England and Australia is as fierce as ever. If proof were needed, it came on the fourth evening when England were bound to win and level the series, yet a duel ensued between Matthew Wade and Jofra Archer which was as ferocious as if they had been firing cannons at each other point-blank.

Archer hit Wade, Wade hit Archer, and the verbals, balls, stares and glares were flying everywhere. Yet an hour later both sides were shaking hands and, while relieved they can rest their feet after the most intense of summers, secretly savouring the prospect of doing it all again in the next round in Australia.

It was a brilliant performance by England to lift themselves off the floor of disappointment, where they had landed last Monday after Australia had gone 2-1 up at Old Trafford and retained the Ashes. It had to be in order to overcome Steve Smith and Australia’s fast bowlers.

But they were given a helping hand by Tim Paine, who sent England in to bat; and Australia can hardly be accused of making the most of their mercurial leftarmer Mitchell Starc. It was good for cricket, however, that Australia’s attritional attitude to pace bowling did not ultimately triumph.

Day four itself could hardly have gone closer to perfection for England’s players, given they were 2-1 down, and supporters. Stuart Broad began it by clubbing a couple of sixes, off Pat Cummins, then a couple of Australian openers, so that although the opening partnership was only 18, it was Australia’s highest of this series.

Only if David Warner had eluded Broad’s shackles could Australia have reached their target of 399, and he pushed hard hands in front of his body yet again, to be caught in the slips. The South African all-rounder Trevor Goddard alone has been such a bunny for an England bowler: in 1960 Brian Statham dismissed Goddard seven times, as Broad did Warner.

It has been a low-scoring series overall, for top-order batsmen especially, because the Dukes ball has seamed and swung, not only when new. But it was the angle of attack which dissected Warner’s defence. Broad, from round the wicket, dismissed left-handers 16 times, seven right-handers.

Smith entered at noon. Ten minutes later he changed his gloves. He had never made a test hundred in the fourth innings. But Smith did not even extend his record of nine consecutive scores of 50-plus in Ashes innings – and he would not have been human if he had saved his best till last.

Earlier this summer England had tried having Smith edge to a fine leg-slip, but this time they allowed for him to get most of his bat on the ball and he was superlatively caught by Ben Stokes, diving to his left.

A fair reflection of Smith’s talent was his aggregate of 774 runs at 110; and so too his 12 slip catches, almost twice as many as