Parramatta coach Brad Arthur expects to be without Mitchell Moses next week after the halfback edged nearer to a NSW State of Origin recall by guiding the Eels to a 34-12 win over Canterbury.
Moses is the frontrunner to replace Nathan Cleary in the Blues squad which will be named by Brad Fittler on Tuesday morning as the NSW coach fights to save the series in Brisbane.
The Parramatta halfback was in a two-way shootout with Cronulla’s Nicho Hynes for the No. 7 jumper coming into this weekend, but Moses appears to have stolen a march on the reigning Dally M medallist, who flopped in his side’s loss to Melbourne.
"I’d love to have another crack, but if that comes then it comes," Moses said.
"We’ll see what happens, my focus all week was on Parramatta, and that stuff comes off the back of it."
Fittler will turn to Moses for the June 21 trip to Suncorp Stadium after he pulled all the strings in a convincing Parramatta victory on Monday.
Moses set up two tries on Monday in front of a 33,866 crowd and likely played Canterbury prop Tevita Pangai Jr out of selection contention, twice hoodwinking the forward and sending players through gaps he had vacated.
“He was very good and I think since his contract stuff has been sorted he’s been clear on what he brings to the team,” Arthur said.
“I have no doubt he can do that for NSW.
“Teams can try and put him under pressure but his kicking game, he never seems to miss and you add his running game to it.
"But the biggest improvement has been in his defence, he’s made for Origin ... since he’s had a baby, he’s settled and in the right spot.”
Moses has only played for NSW once before, featuring in a dead rubber Game III in 2021 where he played 70 minutes with a fractured back.
He toyed with Pangai Jr in the first half where the Eels took a 24-6 lead in at the break following a hat-trick to captain Clint Gutherson and a try to Bailey Simonsson.
Simsonsson profited from a busting run from Eels five-eighth Daejarn Asi, who replaced stood-down playmaker Dylan Brown.
Brown awaits a court date to contest allegations that he sexually touched a woman without consent.
Matt Burton grabbed Canterbury’s sole first-half try after some neat inter-play with rookie halfback Karl Oloapu.
But bar a few trademark torpedo kicks and a skirmish on the stroke of halftime with Moses, Burton was kept relatively quiet by the Eels defence.
Things are beginning to feel like one step forward two steps back for first-year coach Cameron Ciraldo, who was critical of his side’s effort.
“Defensively we were terrible, 54 missed tackles showed that,” Ciraldo said.
“There was no real togetherness in our defence, there was some really poor tackling which pisses me off the most.”
Will Penisini scored for the Eels soon after the halftime break but the arrival of Khaled Rajab sparked the Dogs into life.
Hayze Perham scored off a set where Rajab was involved in everything but a try soon after from Parramatta’s Fijian winger Maika Sivo quelled any hope of a Bulldogs comeback.
Sivo surpassed fellow countryman Semi Radradra to become the fifth-best Eels try scorer of all-time with 83 in 97 NRL games.
